“He who becomes the parent of a fool [who is spiritually blind] does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool [who is spiritually blind] has no joy.”
Proverbs 17:21 AMP
Today we are confronted with the reality of not dealing with children in a biblical way. Approaching this verse we are confronted with a startling discovery! The verse opens with the words “He who become…” The tensing of the words implies that “something is a result of a process.” There is no escaping the fact that children need their parents to be the rudder of their lives. We clearly see the result of the attack against the family as we look around at the prison system and those engaged in heinous crimes. There seems to be a common thread of no real family life.
Discipline isn’t an easy process. It goes against our sinful nature of “what’s best for me” is the predominant theme! Ask anyone who has ever accomplished great things. The process was hard, labor intensive but overwhelmingly satisfying. Discipline is about motivation. That’s why this “everyone wins” philosophy is so dangerous. We have removed the understanding of what it means to be motivated thereby have created a generation satisfied with their failure! If that were the case, man would have never walked on the moon! We would have celebrated the death of the guys who burned alive in the space capsule and deluded ourselves into believing that the goal was accomplished! What foolishness! Positive results will never come from negative input, it is mathematically impossible!
While no one can predict the outcome of a person’s encounter with Christ, one can prepare the ground in which the seed will be planted. There is a great debate today about the application of discipline to our children. The opinions range from total hands off to total hands on where the parent is literally living the life of the child for themselves! So where do we find the balance point? Let’s look at the final authority in our lives, the Scripture.
“Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 AMP
It is that parent’s responsibility to model the life of a Christ follower for their children. One of the greatest frustrations as a Youth Pastor I had was the fact that we would present the model at youth group and the children would go home and watch their parents do something else! The Bible tells us that,
“You are our letter [of recommendation], written in our hearts, recognized and read by everyone.3You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
2 Corinthians 2:23 AMP
This verse is not only important in terms of your witness to the world but even more so in what you model to your children. Do not deceive yourself that your priorities will become those of your children! God spoke to Isaiah,
“Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”
Isaiah 30:21 AMP
Our verse warns us that those who forfeit their responsibility too their child will ultimately suffer in the end. It doesn’t mean that parents don’t love their children, it does however remind us of the torment in our souls when we see our children forsake the Lord and walk away. God loans us His children for a short 18 years or so. Take the time to go the extra mile to be involved. Be the example and do not be afraid to draw the lines when needed! The whole idea of parenting is mentorship. That means speaking the truth in love and applying the proper discipline when needed. Remember that YOU are the adult! Have a blessed day modeling the Savior in your life today! Pastor Ken