Children are like Clay

Children are like clay

Written by: Rachel Smith

Children are like clay.  We, as parents, have the obligation to mold and shape them. 

But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand 

Isaiah 64:8, NKJV 

 The concept in this passage can be applied to parenting.  Our children are the work of our hands.  Let that sink in for a minute.  Our children are a reflection of how we have raised them.  Their behavior is shaped through how we have parented them.  We need to discipline our children because “he who loves him disciplines him promptly” as found in Proverbs 13:24 (NKJV).  We have a great deal of responsibility as parents to raise our children up in the Lord.  Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (NKJV).  We are to train them to be respectful and hardworking individuals who love and willingly serve the Lord.  We need to provide them with a good foundation that is grounded in the Word of God. 

 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

 1 Corinthians 3:10-11,   NKJV  

We are responsible for teaching our children the scriptures so that they are not “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” as stated in Ephesians 4:14 (NKJV).  

This seems to be an even more difficult task today.  We know that children are expected to obey and respect their parents as commanded in Ephesians 6:1 (NKJV).  Do we consider that we are not to “provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” as recorded in Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV)?  There are times that we as parents make the wrong decisions.  We can lose our tempers and do things we regret.  We should repent and seek forgiveness. 

 Revelation 2:5 says, “from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent” (NKJV).  We need to show our children that God is working in our lives and that we have the desire to do His will. 

Parents have work to do whether it is in the home or at a business.  

When we work, we are to work as if we are working for the Lord.  

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. 

Colossians 3:23, NKJV  

We should keep this in mind no matter what we are doing.  Having a positive attitude while doing the work that is not so appealing is hard, but something of great importance.  

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. 


Philippians 2:14-16, NKJV 

 This is something we should teach our children through our words and more importantly through our actions.  We are all familiar with the saying that “Actions speak louder than words”.  There is a great deal of truth in that statement.

 Children are very observant, and they can be quick to notice that what we say and do are not the same. 

 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. 


Proverbs 20:7, NKJV  

Children will benefit from parents who are honest and hardworking.  These characteristics are ones that we should also want our children to have.  

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 


Psalm 127:3, NKJV

  Arrows are one of the tools a warrior has to be successful in a battle.  Like arrows, a parent can use his or her children to further spread the gospel to others and even into the next generation.  We should encourage our children to study the scripture.  Having Christ is the most important thing a child can have in his or her life.  In doing this, we would be obeying the instruction given to us by Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19-20: 

 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name 
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 
things that I have commanded you” (NKJV).  

It should be our desire to leave in our children a legacy of serving Christ and sharing the gospel with others.  As written in III John 1:4, there is “no greater joy” for a parent “than to hear that my children walk in truth” (NKJV).  

 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15, NKJV  

Parents should make the decision that your family will serve the Lord.