by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is….) Books are available on amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Raising Children…
Growing up in a Confused World
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105
Few would dispute the fact that our world is becoming more confusing. Young children may question, “Am I a boy/girl, or am I a boy/girl who looks like a boy/girl?” While shopping, where do I go to use the bathroom when there may be new choices? What are the Ten Commandments? Do those Ten Commandments just apply sometimes, or are they no longer applicable at all? Is our country’s constitution outdated? Who has the right answers?
In Genesis 5:2 we read, “Male and female created he them, and blessed them…”. God doesn’t make mistakes. He created us the way we are for the purpose He had in mind. When we start going against God, we are putting ourselves above Him. We are not smarter than God!
If children do not know anything about the Scriptures, they cannot even know that God created us. We desperately need to teach children Scripture!
The examples being set by adults do not give proper answers to the questions of children. Adults are not keeping the Sabbath holy. Many adults are not honoring their fathers and mothers, so children do not see that they need to honor theirs. Most adults are not showing love to God and fellow man, so children have few examples to follow. Even those in so-called “high places” do name-calling and act rudely. Adultery is rampant in our society, The idea of, “If it feels good, do it”, is seemingly the code most now live by. Even murder is becoming commonplace. There is a movement in our country to do away with our constitution. “The constitution is a living, breathing document,” some say. Our constitution was based on unchanging values from the Bible that should never be changed. Children need to be taught to follow God’s rules, not man’s ideas.
Growing up in a confused world creates confused children. What is the answer to this problem? The only answer is the Bible. It is an anchor that holds us steady and upright as the various winds of ideas and doctrines swirl around us. It has held true throughout the ages and will always be right when everything around us seems to be crashing down. If children do not know Scripture, they have no anchor. The only answer for the future of our children is to teach them Scripture. Scripture memorization, including the Ten Commandments, is vitally important. Our children need to be attending church. Parents need to be teaching Bible principles at home. Parents need to know that teachers of their children believe in the Bible. Homeschooling may be a good option if Godly teachers are not available. Wisdom needs to be used by parents to shield their children from those things they are not able to handle.
A little boy at his first visit to a Christian summer camp summed it up best when he told his leader, “God is really the only chance we have, isn’t He?”