Are We Giving Our Children The Leftovers?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles Tags: Bulletin Articles on Training ChildrenThere’s a definite connection between the epidemic of violence we’ve seen among children in recent years and the lack of conscientious parents. Many children are left home alone with unsupervised television after school, on holidays, and during summer months. From this “electronic babysitter,” they get an education in such negative traits as disrespect for adults, disregard for the property of others, filthy language, sexually immoral behavior, dishonesty and deceit, self-centeredness, materialism, and the “might makes right” philosophy.
Jesus’ Concern For Children
Jesus once asked these questions:
“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11-12).
These words apply with equal force to a mother’s concerns for her children. After we have given our best to others all day, and then give our children the “leftovers” of our time and energy, are we not giving them a stone, a serpent, or a scorpion?
Turning Our Children Over To Uncaring Caregivers
What can we be thinking when we turn the care and training of our precious children over to the bullying and bad influence of uncaring caregivers, to complete strangers (some of whom have been discovered to be pedophiles) or worse, to the entertainment industry? Some of our so-called “educational” programs are almost as bad as those on the commercial stations because of what they teach both explicitly and implicitly (i.e., evolution, secular humanism, etc.).
Concerned And Involved Parents
As concerned parents, we should watch such educational programs with our children and afterward point out errors, taking advantage of opportunities to teach them the truth. A parent may then exercise proper judgment as to what programs should be “off limits.”
A mother knows her children and their needs in ways that no hired caregiver could possibly know them. She is there when they need her — and not “by appointment only.” She is obedient to the command that she be a keeper at home and that she is to love her children (Titus 2:4-5).
The Stay-At-Home Mother
The stay-at-home mother fulfills her responsibility to teach her children at all hours of the day (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). A mother’s most valuable teaching, is that which she does moment by moment, while going about her daily routine of activities. She teaches her children by her attitude, by the tone of her voice, by her patience, by the comments she makes, by the songs she sings, and by that programming to which she listens to on the radio or watches on TV. She teaches her children by her concern for others, by the good deeds she does for them, and by her honesty. And folks, children can see right through us — they immediately know what is “most” important to us.
The stay-at-home mother and her family must be willing to forego many of the material things they might otherwise have with her extra income, but the trade-off is well worth it. Sadly, even Christian husbands will sometimes try to push their wives into taking a job and leaving their children just for a little extra income.
Biblical Wisdom Regarding Material Things
Solomon once stated regarding material things: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it” (Proverbs 15:17-RSV).
Paul wrote to the brethren at Philippi:
“I have learned in whatsoever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11).
Paul wrote to Timothy: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” and warned that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil; and because of that fact, we should not trust in riches (1 Timothy 6:6; 1 Timothy 6:10-11 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
This World Is Not Our Home
We tend to forget that this world is not our home, and that we can take none of our possessions with us (Job 1:21; 1 Timothy 6:7). Only those treasures which are stored in Heaven will survive (Matthew 6:19-21).
Our Most Prized Treasure
Our most prized physical treasures should be our children and grandchildren, and we should want them to go to Heaven more than anything else. Surely this is true of any serious-minded mother.
Training Our Children In God’s Word
Because of the great moral decay in our country that we are seeing on a daily basis, there is no greater need than to properly train our children in God’s Word. In fact, God has given us explicit instructions in His Word on “how” to do just that (Deuteronomy 4:9-10; Deuteronomy 6:7; Deuteronomy 6:11-19; Ephesians 6:4).
The Results Of Religious Training
And we can plainly see the results of proper religious training (cf. Genesis 18:19; Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 33:12; Ephesians 6:3). To do otherwise will bring death and destruction upon our nation, our children, and all future generations (Deuteronomy 7:10; Isaiah 59:18; 1 Samuel 2:27-34; Proverbs 14:34; Isaiah 1:1-9; Jeremiah 7:21-34).
Conclusion:
Brethren, let’s unselfishly devote the proper allocation of our time in the training of our children, realizing the moral impact it will have upon the future of our great nation (Psalm 78:1-8).
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