Jump Start # 829

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Yesterday I went to grab a quick bite of lunch at a place near our church building. As I was waiting in line, I noticed a young mother with a young boy and a girl about four years old. The little girl kept starring at me. The rest of the day I kept thinking about that little girl and more so her parents. I know a lot of young parents. Their children are the cutest things ever. There is a lot of fear parents have about our world today. It’s not safe. I don’t know if there are more evil people today or we just hear about them more. The country is wanting to redefine marriage, there is a more obvious assault upon faith and there is a shift toward being secular that is taking place. There is much to fear.

As I thought about that four year old girl, I wondered if my parents had similar fears when I was four years old. No, it wasn’t the log cabin days of Daniel Boone, but it was in the early 1960’s. Rock ‘n roll, hippies, drugs and the sexual freedom and revolution was spreading fast. Back then, college campuses were the scene of many riots from students protesting a war in Vietnam. Rock concerts became the place for public nudity. It was a scary world back then. Some survived. Some crashed.

Here are some thoughts:

1. It seems that parents have always been fearful of the world that their child is growing up in.  Each generation seems worse. That may not be true, but that’s a perspective that most have. There have always been bullies at school. Those who want to break the rules have always been around. Those who want to live in excess and without God have always been around. We want our children to be safe and innocent. Today, many parents elect to home school. That wasn’t an option when I was a kid. We know sooner or later our children will see things that we wish they never had to. They will experience the brokenness of lives bent on sin. I remember the first time I heard the word “pregnant.” I was in grade school and some kid was telling us about an older girl who had gotten “pregnant.” I didn’t know what that word meant. I was so naïve. Preachers didn’t use that word in the pulpit back then. I thought she had something wrong with her leg and it caused her to limp. Our kids will hear words, many of them will not be nice or acceptable. They will witnesses negative attitudes. They will hear of crime and violence. Being a scared parent is not new. It is good that you are scared.

2. It helps to remember that many of us made it through. Not everyone of my generation experimented with drugs. Many that did, quit. Not everyone danced in the streets naked. Not everyone embraced evolution. Not everyone burned the flag in protest. Many of us that made it, owe our success to our parents. They taught us. They showed us. They instilled within us what was right, meaningful, and lasting. They proved that you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. We made it. We became connected to Jesus Christ. We went to church. We developed our own faith and today we are busy in God’s kingdom. I don’t know how many prayers my parents said over me. I don’t know how they felt when I went off to high school and then college. They weren’t idle. They didn’t just let things happen. They were active in shaping, building and molding character. They checked who our friends were. They expected us to be home at a certain time. They made us help out around the house. All of that was building character.

Parents today need to remember that. The hope of your child is you. Pray for them. Teach them. Show them. Involve them. They can make it through without being wild, wicked and godless. They can have a modest wedding dress. They can have fun without alcohol. They can become useful to the church. It’s not easy. It’s not for the lazy. It’s not without some hair pulling days. It’s not without the help of God.

3. God knows how to raise a child. The instruction and the way of the Lord that our verse addresses comes from the dad. He is there. He is active. He is teaching. This isn’t taking place in a Bible class at the church building but around the kitchen table at home. It takes place in the restaurant, the movie theatre, the ball park. Always teaching…always leading…always shaping…always praying. Never giving up and never giving in. Many parents my age are now experiencing their grown children marrying and having babies. Many parents my age have seen their children accept the Lord, just as we did. We are seeing our grown children busy in God’s kingdom, just as we were many years go.

God’s way works. It always does. Hang in there young parents. Don’t lose heart. The world is dark, indeed. But don’t forget that God is great. John wrote, “Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world.” The “He” in you is God. The “he” in the world is anyone else, but especially Satan. God is greater. Keep teaching.  Turn the news off. It just makes you depressed. Share the wonderful story of Jesus.

You are not just raising your kids…you are building the next set of workers in God’s kingdom!

Roger