You've probably heard it said more than once before, "If you think that being married is tough on you, wait until you have kids."

Marriage can be tough, but parenting just makes it tougher. And as much of a challenge parenting is, the reward that comes out of being a father or mother is one beyond compare

It's been said that the most valuable things on this earth never come easy, and parenting can only be a testament to that. I only have one child, and it makes me wonder how other parents can handle two or even more!

Parenting is no easy feat for sure. I'll go as far as to say this: It's impossible! To be be given the responsibility with the life, growth, and development of another human being at the level we parents have is scary to say the least.

We cannot be a good parent on our own, and there's a very big chance that we will fail over and over again as parents to our children. In the four years that I have been a father to my daughter Alex I have failed more than I hope I would. But in my failure, God always proved Himself to be extremely faithful.

Children are costly because they are valuable

The only reason why parenting is hard is because children are valuable. Psalm 127:3 tells us, "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward."

A heritage is a lavish inheritance and that's what children are to us. Our children are an inheritance we receive from God. That means they are not our own, but at the same time, given that they come from a gracious heavenly Father, the inheritance we receive is not a small one but one of great value.

There's nothing more valuable to God than the Christian home, and much of that involves God-centred and Spirit-empowered parenting.

It's not up to us

Now with all this said, parenting can seem more like a life sentence than a lifeline, but I assure you it's not. That's because the burden and weight of parenting is not one we carry alone, but one that God share with us.

1 Corinthians 15:10 tells us, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."

In as much that Paul was a "parent" to local churches, He needed the grace of God to take care of them, love them and help them grow. We need that same grace from God and it's made available to us.

What ultimately will help us though the challenge that is parenting and bring our children through unscathed is no less than the grace of God. Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that we can be great parents on our own. At best, we can be mediocre parents without God, but when empowered by His grace parenting seems to be a much lighter load.

Do you trust God enough to rely on His grace to become a parent to your children, or would you rather rely on your own limited strength?