Ezekiel 19:2
"And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions."
One of the sad results of children being born outside of the boundaries of marriage is the lack of a sense of responsibility by the parents. Any person can produce a baby, but not everyone will take on the responsibilities of child rearing. Rearing children is no easy task, and the responsibility of rearing them is great.
In the verse above, God uses a parable of a lioness to lament the sins of Israel. In this parable are hidden some responsibilities of every parent. As the lioness takes care of her whelps and prepares them for life, I believe you can see parenting principles to prepare each child for life. Let me show you some things you can learn as a parent from the lioness.
First, spend time with your children. The verse above says, "...she lay down among the lions,..." Too many parents are never with their children to teach them how to live life. Sadly, there are parents who are busier running with their friends, playing in city sports leagues, spending time with their friends at the mall or going to activities. You will never be able to train your children for life if you are not with them at home. There is no substitute for time. You can't throw money and gifts at your children and think that is a great substitute for spending time with them. They need to be with you.
Second, make sure your children are properly fed. The lioness "nourished her whelps." In other words, she made sure they had a proper diet. I know, it seems very obvious that a parent should properly feed their children, but you would be surprised how many children aren't fed a proper diet. My mother made sure that I had a proper diet. She kept us from eating a lot of sweets, but made sure that we had a good balanced meal. She didn't let us skip our vegetables because we didn't like them. We had to eat everything that was placed on the table. I believe you would be wise to be sure your children eat a proper diet so they can go into their adult years healthy.
Third, teach them principles for life. Nourishing your children is also teaching them principles for life. A parent is responsible to make sure their children know how to face life. Teach them the responsibility of paying their bills on time. Teach them to get up early and on their own, for they will have to do this when they get a job. Teach them they have to fulfill their responsibilities before pleasure. You're responsible as a parent to make sure your child knows how to face life as an adult.
Fourth, teach them how to avoid sin. In verse 4, the lioness found her whelp was caught in the traps men set for it. Parents should be sure to teach their children the price of sin. One of the best ways to do this is to take them with you as you reach the lost for Christ. If you are trying to reach everyone, you will run into those whose lives are ruined by sin. This is a great teaching moment. Likewise, when someone falls into sin, that is a teaching moment and not a gossiping moment.
Last, teach your children how to make it in tough times. Verse 13 tells how the lioness "planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground." Times are not always going to be easy. Part of your responsibility as a parent is showing your children how to make it in tough days. Show them they need to prepare ahead by saving and not always spending on wants.
Parenting is no easy task. If you train your children with the proper skills of life, you will find you will have less heartache when they become adults. I'm not saying you won't have heartache, but if you teach them how to be responsible adults, then you can at least be proud when they choose to live responsibly.