7 Pieces of Christian Wisdom for New Parents

1. You Are Doing Well as a New Parent

Friend, you are doing well. It can feel like you are not doing things correctly as a new parent, but you are doing better than you realize. We can become overwhelmed and stressed when we first become parents, making us question our parenting abilities. Rest in knowing the truth that you are doing well. You have brought a baby into the world and will now take care of your baby girl or baby boy for the next eighteen years.

This is an amazing blessing from the Lord. It is a true blessing to bring a child into the world and watch them grow up. Children are gifts from the Lord (Psalm 127:3). Not everyone can have children; bringing a child into the world is a wonderful gift. Know that you are doing amazing as a new parent, and continue to lean on Jesus.

2. God Sees Your Daily Efforts, and He Will Be with You

A tidbit of grace and love from God as a new parent is that He sees your daily efforts and is walking beside you. None of your efforts go unnoticed by God. He sees your daily motivation to get up in the morning, to tend to your baby, and to keep going even when you are tired. God also sees how well you are treating your spouse and how you are working as a team. Never doubt God's watchful eye on your life.

While we will have times we struggle as new parents, God does not define us by these things. He looks at our hearts and our efforts. Even though we may get upset, frustrated, or angry at times, God still sees all the good we are doing as new parents. Ask the Lord to help you when you are struggling and ask Him to continue to help you in your daily efforts. He will always be with you through every season of life, including this new season of becoming a new parent.

3. You Are Entering a New Stage of Life

As new parents, we are entering a new stage of life, and it should not be taken lightly. Being parents come with great responsibilities. No longer are we only responsible for ourselves. We are now responsible for our newborn. It becomes our responsibility, joy, and privilege to raise our baby.

This new stage of life will come with many challenges, yet we can always turn to God. He will be able to equip us with the strength and resources we need to soar as new parents. We don't need to try to define ourselves as a "good" or a "bad" parent when we are still learning the ropes. Rather than talking down to ourselves, we need to see this as a new stage of life where God will be with us every step of the way.

As we walk through this new life stage, we need to be open to the Father's direction and advice. God is the Father of us all and will help us as new parents (1 John 3:1). Whenever we are short on advice or need help, we can ask the Father for direction. He will faithfully lead us through this journey and help us to grow because of it.

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4. Start Reading Your Baby the Bible

Another piece of Christian wisdom for new parents is found in reading the Bible to our baby. Many mothers start doing this while their baby is still in the womb. Even though our baby will not be able to understand what we are saying, we can start reading the Bible to them and provide them with comfort. Reading the Bible to our baby daily will also encourage us to be active in Bible reading.

Babies love the sound of their parents' voices; make sure you talk to them every day. Watch them grow and learn to laugh, smile, and sit up. Before you know it, your baby will be able to understand more of the Bible. When this day comes, you can start teaching them about Jesus and His love for them. They will have to get older before they can decide to place faith in Jesus; however, it is important to start laying a foundation early, including reading them the Bible when they are newborns.

5. Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself

As new parents, it is easy to be too hard on ourselves. We don't need to do this as it will only cause more stress. Rather than being hard on ourselves, we need to extend grace, mercy, and forgiveness to ourselves. Becoming a new parent is a huge change and we don't need to be mean to ourselves when we mess up, sleep too long, or forget to set the alarm.

Try your best and give the rest to the Lord. New parents are navigating a new world and it is important we equip ourselves with what we need. This includes only good things, not self-deprecating talk or being harsh with ourselves. Extend grace to yourself just as you would to anyone else. Treat yourself as you would treat a friend. This will help improve your parenting journey.

6. Work on Your Own Personal Relationship with Jesus

With all the new changes after becoming a new parent, it can be easy to neglect our personal time with the Lord. While this is common, we do not need to let it become the new normal for our lives. We need to make sure we are carving out time each day to work on our relationship with the Lord. Rather than putting Him on the back burner, we need Him now more than ever.

In our time with the Lord, we need to go to Him in prayer and listen to Him through His Word. By praying to Him, we will be able to present all our worries, concerns, and stressors to Him. He will bless us with peace and surround us with His comfort. After we pray, we need to read the Bible and listen to what God is trying to tell us.

God speaks to us through the Bible, but we will never be able to hear Him if we are not reading His Word. This is why it is vitally important for us to cultivate our personal relationship with God during this time. If we are not speaking with Him in prayer and not listening to Him in His Word, our Christian walk will soon start crumbling. This, in turn, will cause our parenting to also suffer.

7. Trust Your Baby's Future in the Hands of the Lord

Lastly, it is essential to hold onto the truth that our baby's future is in the Lord's hands. Jesus is in control of all things, including our baby's future. It can be scary to think about all the bad things that could happen, but we must not give into these fears. Instead, we need to trust Jesus and rest in the knowledge of His great plans for our baby's life (Jeremiah 29:11).

Jesus is our great and powerful Savior. We can trust Him with all things. Think about the positive things that will happen in the future rather than the bad things. As a new parent, it is understandable that we have so many fears, yet we must turn these worries over to the Lord. He tells us to cast our anxieties on Him, which is exactly what we do when we present our worries to Him in prayer (1 Peter 5:7).

The Lord is in control of the future; He already has our baby's future written in His heart. We can trust Him with the future of our baby as well as the future of our family. There will be difficult times, but there will also be beautiful times. Through the light and the darkness, we will be taught many lessons and grow as new parents.

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