From Pastor John Collins:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV).
Our way of life has got to change. What happens when kids
have kids? What happens when the “parents” put their social lives and partying
ahead of their own children? What happens when a parent’s love life takes
precedence over spending time with their kids? What happens when a child’s
right of passage to maturity is their first beer, their first drag of a
cigarette, their first joint, their first line and their first sexual encounter?
Too many parents are clinging to youth by partying and
dressing to impress. Too many parents are living lives that are teaching the
young that social interactions are at the top of the priority list. Too many
parents are going out and cutting loose because they feel that they have lost
so many of their “good years” to raising children. What example are we setting
for the children we are meant to care for when we put ourselves first?
Raising children is a big responsibility and it is a
challenge to remain selfless. It is not always fun to act like the adult. When
you have kids at a young age and those children get to a rebellious stage it is
not always easy to handle the problems that arise with maturity and confidence.
There has got to be a point when parents make a conscious choice to parent.
Parenting is the most important job that a person can have.
A parent is responsible for teaching their children how to be respectable
people, how to behave appropriately, how to prioritize correctly, how to deal
with confrontations and challenges that come with life and most importantly how
to get to heaven. If you do not teach your child how to enter the kingdom of
God, you have failed. If you do not live a life that exemplifies those lessons,
you have failed. If we don’t make it home, we have failed.
We have got to grow up and get right with God. Parents need
to parent. We have to be able to see that selfish pleasures and needs in our
own lives do not serve our children well. There is too much partying and
romance that keeps parents from their children. People don’t want to hear that
faith is the answer but that is the truth. The solution to every problem lies
in the hands of Jesus. The change that comes from believing and trusting in God
is truly miraculous. The hope that comes from the Cross is eternal.
Be willing to be selfless. Be willing to change your ways
and become a beacon of hope for your families. Children are a joy and such a
gift. Let us learn to parent with the love of God and Jesus in our hearts and
the devotion and commitment that our children deserve.
“Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’” Luke 18:15-17 (NKJV).
