8-16-2015

Good Morning All!!

         Deuteronomy 6:7; “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

     I was reading an article a few weeks ago about a set of parents who were in trouble with their state social services department.  It seems that the parents let their children, who were 6 and 8, walk to and from school by themselves and then let them go to the park by themselves.  Some neighbors were worried so they contacted social services about it.  The parents were cleared of wrong doing but the incident sparked quite a discussion.  The parents involved claimed that they were practicing “free range” parenting.  They believed that their children were capable of what they were allowed to do.  The park was two blocks from home and the school was 6 blocks from home.  There were no major streets for the children to cross and they both had cell phones to be in contact with the parents.  Some thought this was horrible while others thought it was great.  

    I had never heard of “free range” parenting before but it can now go with “helicopter parenting” or the “tiger mom” or any one of a half dozen or so parenting styles.  I don’t claim to be an expert; I know parenting today is different then when my wife and I were the parents of young children and very different from when I was the young child.  I was a free range child but I grew up on a farm with our nearest neighbor about 3-4 miles away.  I have never lived in a city where life can be different.  Yet there is one style that never goes out of style.

    As school is beginning again for the fall, I would encourage you, as parents and grandparents, to be powerful prayer warriors.  Pray for your children, pray for their teachers and others in the school system.  Pray for the safety of those in school, pray for understanding and compassion to be the norm and not the exception.  Let the children see you pray; let them see you read your Bible and spend time in God’s Word.  This simple act has a powerful impact on our children.

    Even as our children spend hours in school, every study concludes that parents still have the greatest impact on the development of the child.  This is an awesome responsibility that we as parents bear but God is there to bear it with us.  He shows us how to teach our children by living our faith every day, by teaching our children how to live as faithful Christians in everyday situations.  Teach the children, this way they may know of God’s promise and plan for them.  Pray for them; pray that they will be kept safe and that they grow in wisdom and stature before the Lord.

Gracious Father, we pray for our children.  Keep them safe.  Guard them from the evil of this world.  Show them the truth of your grace.  Lead them forward as your dear children to be safe in your loving arms.  Be with those children who do not know the safety of your mercy.  Lead us to being them into your kingdom.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret