Baby showers always make me think back to when our first of three children was born, a baby girl who is all grown up now, living and working in Manhattan. I’ll never forget holding her in my arms and being overwhelmed with deep deep love. It bowled me over. At the same time, and moreso as time went on, I felt so inadequate. And then there were two little ones. And then three. Hooboy. Author Paul Tripp refers to parenting as being a tool in God’s Hand in the forming of a human soul. A tool in the forming of a human soul. A high calling for us as parents. Not to mention as aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, coaches and many other roles.

Like most of us, I have social media accounts. And my Instagram algorithms are filled with helpful info like . . . mediterranean diet recipes . . . how to improve my pickle ball game . . . and – I should probably pay much more attention to these – makeup tips for women over 50.

Statistically, women in particular are vulnerable to messages that tug on our emotions like fear and insecurity. And the thing that makes me nervous for young moms today is how much bad information is floating around, particularly concerning the really important aspects of life. Pickle ball tips are one thing. Raising children is another.

As an amateur birder, I’ve learned that birds can see colors that we cannot see. Most birds, in fact, can see into the ultraviolet part of the color spectrum.* To me, Christians who study the Bible and pray with the help of the Holy Spirit can be more like birds. We’re enabled to see beyond our crazy world and connect personally with a realm that others cannot. So we can run around trying to do things on our own or we can do life with God who is above and beyond this world. The One who created heaven and earth. Who is sovereign over history and the future. Who understands humanity. Who knows each one of us and placed you and me right where we are at this moment in time. In ourselves, we truly are inadequate. But He never is.

Shopping for baby showers is plain fun for me. I think baby booties are as cute as kittens and puppies. College-team-themed onesies? I’m all in. But it’s God who gives us the parenting essentials like peace, patience, self control and strength of soul. And when TikTok or peer pressure pushes fads like “gentle parenting” … we need wisdom; we need His wisdom.

Proverbs 2:4-7 tells us this about wisdom:

“If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright…”

God has given us a book of wisdom. Henrietta Mears says about the Bible: “It is OLD, but ever NEW.” It’s timeless. More modern, even, than TikTok or Instagram. And more trustworthy.

The other day I was listening to a podcast interview with a scholar who has gone on digs in the Middle East. He said that these are such extensive and expensive undertakings that archaeologists can’t waste time and money digging around. They have to have reliable source documents to guide their searches. In fact, he said, he has found that these mostly secular archaeologists use six primary books, and five of them are books in the Bible.

Ruins of a Roman Amphitheater in Caesarea Maritima, Israel

I've also read about an archaeologist who was at a dig that they thought was the ancient city of Sodom. One night this man was in his hotel room, reading his Bible, and he realized that if the biblical account was true, then they were digging at the wrong place. He ended up redirecting efforts to another location. Over time, they dug down and, sure enough, uncovered a layer of ash. Just like the first book of the Bible - Genesis - would have predicted.

My encouragement is for us as parents to be more like archaeologists digging for treasures. Let’s study the Bible. Let it guide our decisions, redirect our steps, and show us what to do when we feel inadequate or scared or fill-in-the-blank. I love a good podcast, but let’s help each other make God’s Word our primary parenting resource, our touchstone for living wisely. With Him, you’re never alone. With Him, you’re more than adequate for parenting no matter what our sometimes chaotic culture throws at you.

I’ll close with a prayer of blessing for anyone who has read this far. From II Corinthians 13:14: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and all the ones you love.

The excavated synagogue at Capernaum, Israel.

For more about the color vision of birds, go here.
Note: I don’t have TikTok and don’t recommend it for anyone else!