Do we love our Children?

Here is something my wife and I wrote on our Church message board. I hope you enjoy it and it really gets you thinking.

Do we love our children? Yes, we take care of them, buy them things, and try to keep them happy by hugging them, kissing them, and trying to take care of their problems. We worry about them, want to keep them safe. Most of us would probably give our life for our children. But do we really love them? I’m talking about the kind of love that would save them from an eternity in hell. This is a question that has been on my mind for a while and I thought I would post it on the forum.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6. This tells us very clearly to teach our children the ways of Christ. I am very concerned with the direction of our youth today. As parents we have failed miserably, not we as Unity Gospel Tabernacle, but we as the body of Christ. In today’s time, we feel it is important for our children to be popular in school. That means letting them wear revealing clothing. Ever try finding something modest for a teenager at Goody’s or in the mall? Clothing with advertisements for alcoholic beverages is often targeted at our kids. T-shirts often have some sexual innuendo printed on the front. We hear, “But mom, all the other kids are wearing it!” The music our youth listens to is full of vulgarity and sexual or alcoholic content. Again we hear, “But that’s what everyone at school is listening to!” We have teens on birth control because we no longer teach abstinence. The local health department is located by the high school so teens can get free condoms without mom and dad knowing. I could go on and on but I think you get my point. We love our kids so much that we can’t say no. We say, “My kid doesn’t drink so I don’t think it’s wrong for him/her to wear the beer shirt,” or “It’s just music.” What would happen if Jesus were to return tomorrow and your child or my child was wearing a beer shirt listening to vulgar, profanity laced music? The words, “Depart from me I never knew ye.” come to mind.
We let Hollywood teach our children right from wrong. Unfortunately, Hollywood is teaching them, “If it feels good, do it.”
Gone are the days of family Bible study; gone are the days when the entire family attends church. Also gone are the days when the family actually eats together at the table and says grace before their meal. We blame the courts for taking the Bible out of school, but did we really put up much of a fight?
These are tough times for our youth. It’s hard for them in school when they profess to be a Christian. We need to support them in whatever ways we can. We should pray for them daily, listen when they need an ear, and above all, teach them the way God would have them deal with their problems.
If we loved them the way we should, we would teach them the word of God. We wouldn’t let them listen to the garbage that’s on the radio. We wouldn’t let them wear sexy clothing, or advertise for beer companies. They wouldn’t be on birth control or need condoms. I have come to the realization that to truly love my children isn’t to buy them everything this world has to offer, but to teach them the ways of Christ and be guaranteed they’ll spent an eternity with me in Heaven. It isn’t an easy path to follow. We won’t be popular with our children, and our children probably won’t be popular with children of the world. It will hurt us when they are persecuted for our beliefs. But, we must remember what the word says on this matter. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4 Do we really want our children to be enemies of God? If we love them as we say we do, the answer to this is no. In this modern world of “buy now and pay later,” we have become accustomed to receiving our rewards up front. This is not God’s way. He promises us rewards for our good service in this life, but the real reward comes later in the form of eternal life with God.
I don’t have all the answers. I’m not trying to say that I do, or that this will be easy. I am saying that with God’s help, it is do-able. We must pray for wisdom in dealing with our children, for their futures are in our hands, and ultimately, we will answer to God for what we teach them or fail to teach them.
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