Part Two...Beyond Reach and Beyond Caring

The Solution…Return to Faith in God.

So close, yet so far away...or closer than we think...

Okay, so even when Jesus (God in human form) was actually in the presence of human kind and could be touched, heard, and hugged; crime and sin were still rampant. Because of the original sin that was brought about by Adam and Eve, all of us have an innate draw to making bad choices…but can we really use that as an excuse to allow the decay of morality in our youth??? In my opinion…NO. God gave us free will to CHOSE our actions and the tool with which we can make ourselves aware of what is right and wrong and how to live …the Bible.

I love how the Casting Crowns song The Word is Alive includes a message in which the speaker, Tony Nolan, summarizes the legitimacy of the bible in a way that is awesome and thought provoking…

“The Bible was inscribed over a period of 2000 years. In times of war, and in
days of peace; by kings, physicians, tax collectors, farmers, fisherman,
singers, and shepherds.

The marvel is that a library, so perfectly cohesive,
could have been produced by such a diverse crowd, over a period of time which
staggers the imagination.

Jesus is its grand subject, our good its design,
and the glory of God is its end.”

One of our friends and a great speaker/preacher, Luke Bishop, spoke at our church this past weekend and one of the things he said stuck with me…”People look at the Bible as a list of rules rather than as a list of opportunities.”

I think that this is where we, as leaders, teachers, and parents as a whole, fall short. We’re taking the easy way out. Instead of standing for those things that are true and right, we bend a little, then the next generation bends a little more, then the trend continues on and on until there is nothing but wrong remaining. And we bend when it counts…

“Oh, will it really be so bad for Jonny to miss church this one time, I mean, he
really wants to go here or do this or play this…one time won’t hurt.”

Then the next time, they remember that we gave and remind us and convince us to give again, thus perpetuating the cycle. And we give for the happiness of our children focusing, not the big picture, not with the intentions that the whole of society with take a turn for the worse…

I’m not saying that church in itself is what is important, believe me there are times when I absolutely do not feel like going, but...God is what is important. God, Family, Church…and IF God was first in our lives (mine included), wouldn’t we want our families to grow to accept God, love Him, and in turn obey His wishes…one of which is that we assemble as a body of believers to praise Him…aka…go to church.

I am also not suggesting becoming Hitler incarnate…I am a firm believer in choosing my battles and I absolutely feel that if you put a choke collar on your kids while they are yours to “train”, they are very likely to run wild when the collar comes off. But, I do think that we can reintroduce a sense of morality, truthfulness, pride, and love back into our youth’s lives by following or at least finding out what the Bible says about raising and disciplining our youth and actively applying it in our lives.

In my search to answer so many of my “Why…” questions that arose from the earlier mentioned string of events that have taken place in my family’s lives, I began researching what the Bible says about raising and disciplining children and I ran across a site where most of the work had been done for me (yeay!!)…and now I’m going to share it with you…

What does the Bible say about child discipline?

The Bible has a lot to say about child discipline, particularly in the book
of Proverbs. As early as Deuteronomy 5:16, God's will that children should honor
their parents is made clear. This command, when obeyed, is accompanied by a
promised reward: "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has
commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the
land the LORD your God is giving you."

As good parents, we know our children are a gift from God - a gift that
comes with responsibility. Our job is to raise them with righteous standards
(Psalm 127:3, Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Child discipline, then, is not about punishing
wrong behavior as much as it is about setting a course. Proverbs 22:6 says,
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from
it." Laying a good foundation is essential in raising loving, moral,
well-disciplined children.

First, let's look at what Biblical love is not:

It is not love to raise a child who lacks self-discipline and is controlled
by his or her desires, whether for attention, food, material demands and
entertainment, or seeking to gain something for nothing.

It is not love to allow a child to shrug off responsibility for his own
actions and not to accept the consequences of those actions. Nor is it love to
allow your child to manipulate, control, or justify his or her disobedience.

It is not love to carelessly or intentionally provoke anger in your
children. "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in
the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

Now let's look at what Biblical love is and the proper way to train and
discipline a child:

Love is actively training and teaching our children - diligently
(Deuteronomy 6:6-7)! Put consistent and loving effort into being an active
parent, daily.

Love is providing for your children's physical needs. (2 Corinthians 12:14)

Love is applying with faithful discipline (Proverbs 23:24; 22:15; 23:13-14;
29:15; 29:17). Discipline with consistency.

Love does involve the promotion of biblical teaching to your children early
(Psalm 34:11). The best teachings are by example. Children imitate what they see
more than they do what they're told.

Follow God's pattern, as He disciplines us, for our own good (Hebrews
12:5-11). Be steadfast in correction, yet giving encouragement and praise where
it is due.

The Word of God, found in the Bible, is said to be a blueprint for life. In
it, we are given everything we need to know about being a loving and responsible
parent. Parents must realize that undisciplined children who dishonor their
parents will eventually bear heavy consequences for their dishonor and
disobedience.

As parents who love our children, it is our parental responsibility to
correctly raise our precious children. If we disregard our responsibility to
teach them, we are ourselves being disobedient children, dishonoring our
Heavenly Father. He loves us, as we love our children, and has entrusted us with
their care. As a parent, child discipline is your most important
purpose.

I truly believe that we can be active participants in changing the path that so many of our youth are on by just employing the ideas that God presents to us in His Word.

In my experiences, I have come to know that we are watched so closely by those around us that even if we have limited interaction with youth, our actions, reactions, self presentation, and views are absorbed like liquid in a sponge by those around us. It is the behaviors that we send out that are attributed to us, remembered, and mimicked.

If someone was turning your life into a movie…what would they remember about you? How would they act out your behaviors? Would you want to watch the reenactments of yourself and your choices or would you high tail it in the opposite direction???

My answer...some days are better than others and I hope that they would see that I try daily to effect their lives in a possitive way and to push them to strive for higher ground rather than giving them more negative examples that only lead to a harder and darker road.

Just a thought… Have a Blessed Day!!
April