In His Name Devotionals
WHO’S MINDING OUR CHILDREN? (3)
In His Name Devotionals
WHO’S MINDING OUR CHILDREN? (3)
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
In the ‘50’s children honored and respected their parents, their teachers and anyone else in a position of authority. Parents, while respecting the rights of their children, fulfilled their children’s need for guidance, discipline and love. More importantly, this was accomplished by the parents as a couple and in the home.
In the interest of serving special interests and isolated segments of our population, we have let our lawmakers and jurists establish minority rule as our guiding principle. In doing so, these public servants have pushed God into the background, allowing Him to be recognized only in church of in secret. Our children see this as a rejection of God. There is limited benefit to the teaching of our children about God in church and in the privacy of our homes if as a people we reject Him and force Him from most of our daily activities. How can a child or young adult believe we are serious about our spirituality and our love of God, if the same parents and other role models have allowed God to be driven from our daily routines? The most effective form of teaching is by example. Children observe and follow. In what direction are we leading them?
Prompting our departure from God has been the notable transition in our lifestyles over the last sixty years. We have transformed from a cociety content with that with which God has blessed us to a country that believes we must equally share in all of life’s riches. This has led to the most consequential change ever in the way we live, the desire or necessity for a mother to work outside the home. In turn, we now promote the principle that ‘it takes a village’ to raise our children. Parents feel they can now shun their responsibility to and for their children because they have created lifestyles that allow them the luxury of reliance upon others to raise their children for them or allow the children to raise themselves. Acceptance of more moderate surroundings would allow parents to commit one parent to the task and joy of rearing children full time and enable both parents to be more involved in the lives of their children. It doesn’t take a village to raise a child; it takes a strong, supportive family unit.
In Hebrews 13:5, the writer tells us to be content with what we have because God will neither leave us nor forsake us. Instead of heeding this admonition, however, most of us are like the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-22, unwilling to abandon our search for more at the expense of our children, whom we forsake instead.
Unless we heed Jesus’ words to the rich young man by giving of our blessings rather than concentrating on amassing more, we will have neither the time nor the inclination required to guide our children in the ways of God. Paul encouraged young Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16) to use the Scripture for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. This should be our rallying cry in preparing our children for their life on earth and their eternity in heaven.
