Train up a child…

Are We Sugar-Coating Wrongdoing?

Our children need a clear understanding of what is right and what is wrong. In our present society, we hear lies called “misspeaking”, “spoke out of turn”, or “bad choice of words” instead of being called a lie. When people damage the property of others they are excused because they don’t trust authority. There are innumerable examples showing that people are not clearly seeing the wrong of what they are doing. As one person said in his commentary about what has been termed a race problem in our country, “It is not a skin problem, it is a sin problem”. I agree.
It would seem that our society has turned away from many of the basic rules required for good relationships with others. I can remember my dad singing a song, as he worked around the farm, called, “You can’t do Wrong and get by”. I can still remember some of the words that have helped guide my actions through the years.
“There’s a God who’s standing at heaven’s door.
He’s looking this universe o’er.
And he sees each mortal with an all-seeing eye.
You can’t do wrong and get by.
You can’t do wrong and get by.
No matter how hard you may try.”

Of course, God is a God of love, but He is also a God of judgement. He created the world in such a way that there are always good consequences for good behavior, and bad consequences for bad behavior. Somehow, wrongdoing of children has been shrouded in the idea that God is a God of love and everything is acceptable to Him. It isn’t! He has given us clear instructions that cannot be changed simply because we do not want them to be true.
We will prevent much heartache for our children if we can get them to understand early in life that wrong is truly wrong and there are consequences to be faced when we act in a wrong way.
To laugh off as simple “mistakes” and let wrongdoing slide by is absolutely doing our children a disservice. We need to help define right and wrong in a loving and caring way.