The year 2014 was special for me and my wife as we welcomed our first child into the world. I still remember the joy, the exhaustion, the beauty of it all. The hospital staff made us feel seen and supported. Our nurse was attentive, the doctor reassuring, and we were coached through every little detail of caring for our newborn daughter.
But then came the moment we were discharged. I pulled the car around, secured the new car seat, and looked through the rearview mirror at that tiny, beautiful person. And suddenly it hit me. They’re really going to let us take her home . . . alone? A quiet panic settled in. She was so small. So precious. So cute. And we were so inexperienced. We had no manual for new parents. Although we had read a couple of books, this was the real thing. We had an overwhelming sense of responsibility and love.
In that moment, I realized something I would continue learning as a parent, a husband, and a ministry leader: The weight of caring for someone doesn’t require you to know everything. It only requires you to know what matters most.
Trying to Know It All
The problem is, we’re led to believe that as parents, we need to have it all together. We need to have the right sleep schedule for our kids, the best discipline strategy for our kids, the perfect school choice. Nothing says “Best Parent Ever” than leaving the store with your two-year-old tantrum free. No terrible two’s here, right?
We start to believe that our kids’ mistakes and shortcomings are a reflection of us. We don’t want people looking at us like we are terrible parents, so we try to look the part. In this age of parent influencers, online experts, and endless reels of curated family life, there is an unspoken pressure to become a parenting expert or at least look like one. The saying goes, “pressure makes diamonds,” but pressure can also discourage parents.
What we hear communicated to us is that good parents raise high-achieving kids. That successful parenting looks like well-behaved children, perfectly packed lunches, impressive extracurriculars, and family photos where everyone’s smiling in coordinated outfits. It tells us that if your child excels, you are a success, and if they struggle, you are a failure.
As a result, we strive, scroll, compare, and panic silently. We listen to podcasts, read books, and watch videos to consume the wisdom of others. While all these are not bad things to do, they become unhealthy when they are the main source that we drink from, which will never fully satisfy. Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37–38). God knows that you and I will fall short as parents. He knows that we don’t have all the answers.
Most of us are just doing our best to love our kids through exhaustion, confusion, and trial-and-error. That’s why 1 Corinthians 2:2 is so freeing. Paul, writing to a culture obsessed with wisdom, eloquence, and status, says something profound: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
This comes from a man who wrote about 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament. He was a really smart guy with a lot of influence. Paul didn’t decide to lead with impressive words or worldly credentials. In a culture obsessed with human wisdom and influenced by Greek rhetoric, Paul came with one central truth: Christ crucified. That was his confidence. His confidence was not in his own knowledge or expertise. Paul’s message was Christ crucified. That was his foundation. And it should be ours too, even in parenting.
Knowing What Matters Most
What our kids need most isn’t a parent who has all the answers. They need a parent who is rooted in what matters most, Jesus.
This is counter to our cultural narrative on parenting. Yet as we navigate the challenges of parenthood, we have an advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls the spirit of truth, who will lead us and guide us to all truth (John 16:13). It is important that as parents we hold to the truth of the gospel. The gospel doesn’t demand perfection; it offers grace. It doesn’t tell us to raise perfect kids; it calls us to point our kids to the only perfect Savior.
When we feel the pressure to prove ourselves to others, the gospel reminds us that Jesus already proved his love and faithfulness towards us by dying on the cross. If and when we feel the need to know it all and have all the answers, the gospel invites us to cling to the One who holds all wisdom. When we fall short as parents—and we will—the gospel doesn’t condemn us. It meets us with mercy and says, “You’re still loved. And my grace is sufficient for you, and for your children.”
Knowing Jesus
The gospel doesn’t make parenting easy, but it does make it possible, not through our strength, but through Christ, whose “power is made perfect in our weaknesses” (2 Cor. 12:9). So no, we don’t need to be the most informed, most put-together, most impressive parents on the block. We just need to be parents who’ve decided to know one thing above all else: Jesus Christ, and him crucified. So much of parenting feels like a long list of things we’re supposed to know and get right. But the gospel reminds us that the foundation isn’t our knowledge or performance; it’s God’s faithfulness.
Your kids don’t need a perfect parent. They need a parent who’s surrendered to a perfect Savior. A parent who admits weakness, clings to grace, and keeps pointing the family back to Jesus, again and again. That’s what Paul did in Corinth, and that’s what we can do in our homes. When you feel the urge to dive into articles, podcasts, or parenting books, pause first and go to the Lord in prayer. Ask him for wisdom, clarity, and peace. Parenting advice is helpful, but it’s no substitute for the presence of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. It’s easy to place our own hopes and dreams onto our kids: their behavior, their choices, their future. But before we project what we want for them, let’s ask: What does God want for them? Align your parenting with his heart, not just your plans.
So the next time you feel overwhelmed by expectations, underqualified for the task, or discouraged by your own mistakes, remember this: you don’t have to know everything, just what matters most. And what matters most is not your knowledge, your image, your strategy, or your parenting resume—it’s Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
The gospel is at the heart of Rooted’s ministry to parents. If you’re seeking resources that will intentionally and continually point you to Christ, check out the Rooted Parent podcast.
