Ezekiel 11:19-20 “’19 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.’”

HEARTS OF STONE

The people of Israel had become so hard-hearted that they did not care anything about God’s correction or instruction. God was preparing to send them into exile because of their rebellious acts against Him, and they did not seem to care. Right after these verses God’s glory is removed from the Temple, leaving it desolate and without His presence. Now, that is sad.

But even in the midst of judgment, God reminds Ezekiel that they are still His people. When they repent and turn to Him, He will restore them to Himself and give them a soft, supple heart that can be shaped and molded by Him. This will give them the ability, once again, to keep His commandments.

TEACHING MOMENT

Has your child ever gotten “hard-hearted” towards your instructions? Maybe you call it strong willed or hard-headed. Either way, they refuse to obey. You try everything, and they still refuse to listen or comply. This is a perfect verse to apply to the situation. We cannot make them comply. But we can allow them to have to deal with the natural consequences of their actions, just like Israel had to when they disobeyed God.

How long do we enforce the consequences? Well, that all depends on little Gertrude and Leroy. They must repent of their sin against God and you and ask for forgiveness. They must recognize that they need to restore the fellowship. They must give up their hard heart and receive that new heart. Our challenge, as parents, is to NOT cave under pressure and rescue them before they have reached that point of confession. In many ways, it is harder on us.

God could have decided to NOT send the people into exile. He could have just forgiven them and gone on about His business. But He knew that would only make the people worse. We have to do the right thing with our children also. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We are looking at the finish line, not each hill along the course. Stay true to the course. God has placed your children in your care to teach and prepare to follow Him. He will give you the wisdom and grace to parent. Just ask Him!