Living by Divine Command: How Parental Actions Shape the Future
People often do not strive to be like the Lord because they prefer to live according to their own desires and ideas rather than follow those requirements that lead to true well-being. As stated in one of the sources:"When we want to be something other than what God wants us to be, we desire something that will not bring us happiness. Those divine requirements, which our natural ears perceive more as the demands of a tyrant than those of a loving one, actually guide us to where we ought to go—provided we know what we want. He demands that we honor Him, obey Him, and humble ourselves before Him.
Do we believe that this will multiply His goodness, or do we fear, like the chorus in Milton’s work, that human interference might lead to 'the diminution of His glory'?Man is just as incapable of diminishing God’s glory by refusing to honor Him as a madman cannot darken the sun by scratching the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. But God desires our well-being, and our well-being consists of our love for Him, a reciprocal love characteristic of His creation."(source: link txt)Regarding the influence of such behavior on the upbringing of children, a child living in a home always absorbs the atmosphere and the examples set by the parents. If the parents do not strive to live as the Lord commands, they offer a negative example, which can lead to the adoption of undesirable traits. Conversely, when parents try to be a good example by living according to His commandments, they lay a solid foundation for the positive development of their children. This is reflected in the following statement:"The same applies to children. They absorb the household atmosphere and their parents’ examples, following or rejecting them based on the upbringing and standards set within the family. If the home’s atmosphere is negative and the parents display poor character traits, it is natural that the children will adopt them. Conversely, by setting positive examples, parents lay the foundations for the healthy development of their children. And what could be a more important example than the parents’ aspiration to be like God and live according to His commandments?"(source: link txt)Thus, the unwillingness to be like the Lord is expressed in the choice of one’s own path—a path that often does not lead to true happiness—and negative examples set by parents can significantly affect the character and future of their children. To provide a nurturing environment for the spiritual and moral upbringing of the next generation, it is crucial that parents strive to live according to high moral standards and demonstrate this stance through their actions.