"He did evil in the LORD'S sight, though not as much as his father and mother."
-2 Kings 3:2
It was not so much this quote as others that made me think of all the times the Bible refers to children being punished for the sins of their fathers. It's not so much God punishing the children as allowing punishment to take place. From all the children I have worked with over the years, I appreciate how hard it is to overcome a rough upbringing...the most extreme example being a boy watching his mom shoot his dad and run away when he was three and his sister was one, leaving them to be raised by their grandparents. The boy is a handful, but knowing the background makes you feel more sympathy than anger towards him when he acts up. It helps me think twice before I pass judgement on any other kid since I may not know his or her background as well.
The good news is that the effects of good parents last for many more generations than the effects of the bad ones according to Scripture. Occasionally, a prodigal child seems to go astray for a period of time, and it may seem like a long time when you are going through those times. However, the positive influence that has been shown into that child's life will usually bear good fruit in the end.
So no matter what kind of parents you had (and I had great ones), God will give you the grace needed to be that good "parent" that leads to good children growing up to be good "parents." Parent(s) was put in quotation marks because we are all called to take care of God's children and some people without children of their own are great "parents" to the children in their lives. God bless you all.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Dear Brian, thank you for your article on a Parent's Influence. I worked with boys at a boys ranch in South Dakota; they came from a four state area. The ranch school had a motto, "I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care." We as christians touch so many children's' lives, more than we realize. As a teacher of "At-Risk" children, I realized so many times that in myself, I was very inadequate to help them as I should. I found myself praying for God's guidance in so many cases due to my students great needs. God will never disappoint us, he will always be there waiting for us to ask him for help. Once again, thank you for your article. August Thurmer
ReplyDelete