Words From A Parent
For the third time, Dad called to the kids playing on the river’s edge. “Don’t get too close. The rocks are slippery, and you can slide right in.” Dutifully, the children moved up the river bank away from the edge.
A decade later, one of these children now a dad himself, walked to the river’s edge with his own children. Before letting them start to play, he showed them the slippery algae-covered rocks at the riverbank just like his dad had done. He told them of the danger that was hidden in the rocks at the river’s edge.
The young father heard and remembered his father’s words. Then he taught his young children too. As a parent, we wonder if our children will remember our words, and if it will lead them back to safety when it really matters.
While children aren’t always obedient, it’s still our responsibility to teach them. With certainty, children don’t always see danger in situations. Instead, they live with abandon and look for fun and pleasure without regard for the harm that may be lurking nearby. It takes years of instruction for children to acquire the life skills that enable them to see more than what’s on the surface.
We are responsible for knowing his word and teaching our children. God, our Father, has provided a lifetime of guidance for his children in his word. The Psalmist wrote, “Thy words have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God.” Our good Father wants only the best for us, and likewise, we want the best for our children. As Christian parents, we must learn and apply God’s word to our lives, and teach our children the same. To paraphrase, Proverbs 22:6 says that we should train our children so that they know how to live, and that they will carry that teaching forward even to old age. When taught, remembered and applied, God’s commands lead us away from the treachery of life’s danger to a place where we are safe from harm.
– TH –