Today, our world is dramatically different from the world we grew up in as kids. It’s never been a perfect place, but with each succeeding generation, it certainly becomes less moral, less Godly.
How this thought reminds me of my childhood.
As a kid, I liked to watch NFL Films. They featured old clips and stories from football games long ago. What always stood out to me was the fans in the stands. The men always wore suits, ties, and hats, like they were going to work. The women wore dresses of modest attire.
I always remember thinking, when and why did that change?
It changed as we all become a little less Godly. Parents became a little less Godly, which means children became a little less Godly.
Do you know why?
We let the world in, that’s why.
We allowed the world to tell us what is right and wrong, instead of the Bible. We began to entertain the thought, “It takes a village to raise a child”.
What a communist inspired message.
If you ever wanted to undermine society and interject your own thoughts into another man’s family, that’s the line to use. It certainly sounds good and caring, but it was always a trap. If you don’t believe me, just look at the youth of today.
Look at our world today.
If you think I would allow anyone to teach my children about morality, you must have a screw loose. Most people don’t even know what morality means anymore.
Backup Your Belief Through Actions
All of this came to mind as I read over an article from Barna which said,
73% of U.S. parents are concerned about their children’s spiritual development.
70% of U.S. parents are at least somewhat concerned about their children staying true to their spiritual faith.
So the majority of parents are concerned about their child’s faith, but what are they doing about it?
In most cases, not much.
Check this out.
65% of parents of children under 13 hold the biblical view that they have a unique, God-given calling or purpose for their life. Yet, when it comes to how they pursue this purpose and calling in their lives, they are least likely to adopt the biblical perspective that the best determinant of success in life is consistent obedience to God (15%).
So in reality, 65% of these parents don’t really believe they have a God-given purpose in life. If they truly did, then more than 15% of them would believe being obedient to God is a recipe for success. Instead, they just believe what makes them feel good.
As adults and parents, this has always been our problem.
Putting our beliefs into action. The fact of the matter is, most people certainly hold righteous beliefs. Yet, they rarely follow through on them. They will make excuses why not to adhere to them or ignore them outright.
Not only is this a negative reflection on ourselves, but our children are taking notice.
So if we cannot conform to our own beliefs, why on earth would we expect our children to?
Bad Parenting
I have witnessed so many examples of bad parenting, it makes my head spin. It got to be where I truly disliked hanging out with other parents, as their kids were allowed to scream and yell over adult conversation.
Mom always said, “Kids are to be seen and not heard.”
We always laughed as kids about it. She just wanted us to respect adults, by letting them be heard in their conversations instead of loud-mouthed kids. Apparently, no one else got that memo.
When our children were younger, we hung out with a fair amount of parents. Almost no one believed in spankings and it showed, (Proverbs 13:24). Their children always acted out, talked back, and didn’t stop until they got their way.
Shameful I thought.
I once had a work friend tell me, his child threw a tantrum and started hitting him. So the Dad (work friend) ran into the bathroom and locked the door to get away from his child.
I look at him in disbelief.
I didn’t have to say anything…
He responded with a slightly embarrassed smile, “You would never allow anything like that.”
I just shook my head and said, “No, I wouldn’t”.
He knew I am very humble, but a firm man in my beliefs. I truly felt bad for him, he had no clue how to raise his own child.
In light of that story, I want to provide some more perspective from my own past.
Mom’s Rules
Mom was certainly not a Bible thumper, she made some mistakes in life, as we all do. Growing up, we were a part of various denominations but rarely went to church. It was in spurts. However, Mom always tried to do what was right, and she always taught us right from wrong.
When we were younger, she would make us watch Billy Graham if he had a big event. There was another guy on TV too, but I didn’t care for him so much as a kid, but Mama Tried as the song goes.
One of the biggest things my Mom did that had the most influence on us, was ensuring she knew who we played with and told us what we were allowed to watch on television.
Mom’s rules:
No friends with kids who talk nasty, use swear words, or have bad behavior.
No programming like The Simpsons and other similar shows.
Whenever we met a new kid, Mom would ask,
“Did Roger say any bad words”.
“No Mom”, we replied.
However, there were certainly times when we met kids who did cuss or act out. That’s when we told them,
“We are not allowed to cuss, if you keep doing it, we cannot play with you anymore.”
We never had a friend who kept on cussing or acting out.
Instead, they actually stopped cussing so they could continue to be our friends. They would come over to the house. Everyone loved Mom because she was such a kick to hang out with! She had her rules, but she was fun.
I don’t know if it was Mom’s strategy, but ultimately, what she did was stop other people’s influence over us. Instead, she made us become an influence on other people.
It worked like a charm!
Now that right there is what each and every one of us has to do as parents. We have to flip the script, stop being the victim, and start setting the standard for everyone else.
Television shows were a big one.
Most people are still probably thinking,
“You couldn’t watch The Simpsons?”
Nope, and we didn’t care either.
That show had more rotten things in it than I care to remember. We saw clips of it, we heard kids talk about it. The show taught kids bad behavior, made the dad look like an idiot, and destroyed the family unit.
With all due respect, if you cannot see that. You too were brainwashed by that programming.
So you see, it’s the small things that parents must start standing up against. Otherwise, little by little, we become brainwashed into accepting the ways of the world. The next thing you know, we are raising children who have no respect for their parents or elders.
I see it everyday, and so do you.
The fact of the matter is, you don’t make a difference by doing what everyone else does.
Don’t miss another article!
Study and news with a fresh Christian perspective in your inbox.
Rebuff The World
We didn’t arrive at this wicked point in history by mistake. We arrived here as parents stopped putting God first, and stopped concerning themselves with the details of their children’s lives.
Today, Christian parents allow their kids to watch whatever they want, and play all the video games the world has to offer. This corrupts the mind of our children to the ways of the world.
Did I not just prove that?
Then, just the other day a reader sent me a video of a kid playing Roblox. The game had a pentagram in it, and the Devil was sitting on a throne right in the center of it.
Is that really something you want your child viewing and partaking of?
Where is the Christian value in that?
Teach The Kids
Lest you get the wrong idea, you don’t shield your children from the world either. We tell our kids everything about the world, and they even drop in on World Events and the Bible.
Whenever I tell my children about the world, I tell them all sides of the argument. I tell them the Conservative and Liberal points of view. I tell them about evolution, racism, transgenderism, and homosexuality.
I tell them what God said about it, and I tell them the homosexual argument as well.
Then I let them make up their mind about whatever the topic is.
“Woah”, you’re thinking.
Relax.
I ask them, is that natural (transgenders)?
Their response, “No”.
The first time I told my kids about homosexuality, do you know how I described it?
I simply said, “It’s when two men snuggle together like Mom and Dad.”
They cringed their faces and said, “Eww, gross!”
I didn’t have to say another word, they got the point on that one. I did my job as a parent and stood firm with God.
Hey, this whole homosexuality/transgenderism thing is a slam dunk. It’s unnatural. One doesn’t need to get into the minute details with children to explain the situation. A situation that is now commonly accepted, as those before us gave ground to anti-God behavior.
Well, I never will, and I don’t want you to either.
Do you know why?
God hates homosexuality, it’s a sin.
One more note here…
You want to be the one who converses with your children about these things. If you wait and let some professor do it, they will have your child believing they evolved from slime or something worse.
Get Involved
So as a parent, you must get involved in your child’s life. You are the parent, they are the child. You set the rules and you ensure they follow those ground rules. If you don’t, your children will walk all over you.
No one listens to a pushover.
As a parent, you let God be the center of your family and you revolve around Him. He sets the standard for you and your children.
With that said, I want to provide you a Biblical example from the past.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
Turn you Bible with me to,
1Sa 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.
Eli was a priest of God and a good man. Yet, his sons were very wicked.
1Sa 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
This was an abomination.
I am surprised God didn’t knock them dead on the spot. Nevertheless, these were the actions of Eli’s two sons. Eli’s sons certainly did not display the righteous actions of a priest of God, did they?
Let’s read what Eli said to his sons.
1Sa 2:23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
It’s a bit late in life for this chat. Eli’s sons are grown men at this point. It’s a bit too late to discipline them, that should have happened as a child. Even so, Eli could have stopped them from such behavior.
God already had laws in place for Israel that even included the death penalty for heinous acts. Eli decided a slap on the wrist was appropriate.
I imagine some of you are thinking, ‘Eli just had a couple of bad souls for sons.’ Those are the thoughts of people who do not take accountability.
Let’s see what God has to say.
1Sa 3:12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
God told us what things in 1 Samuel 2:27-36.
Now we can read why He said those things.
1Sa 3:13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
God essentially put a curse on the house of Eli.
The reason?
Eli failed to raise up his children properly. Eli was a priest of God! Yet, the man could not raise up his family in the Lord. He knew they were bad boys, but he didn’t restrain them as he should have.
That is not taking accountability.
God does not like it, God does not respect or honor that.
While Eli’s children may have been bad souls to begin with, that is what discipline is for. That is what correction is for. Sometimes we lose sight of that and we think we are hurting a child. Disciple is no fun for anyone.
However, not disciplining a child and watching them grow into rebellious adults is a thousand times worse.
Summary
Over the years, I have heard from a lot of Christian parents that admit, their children have gone astray. It’s so sad to hear. Only the parent knows the influence they had on their child growing up, only that parent knows the situation.
This article is for those who are raising children right now. Let this article be your eye-opener. You have today, you have right now to make a difference. Not only in your child’s life, but in the world. Your children are going to grow up and influence other people.
What kind of influence will they be is the question.
What path are you setting them on right now?
Your take away…
Always ensure you know who your children are interacting with, and what they are being entertained by. Do not allow the world to be an influence on your children. Instead, let your proper Christian life be an influence on your children and the world.
As a friend once told me, “Well trained dogs and children are no accident.”
Thanks for reading, How Do We Know If We Are Succeeding As Parents?
How Do We Know If We Are Succeeding As Parents?
Today, our world is dramatically different from the world we grew up in as kids. It’s never been a perfect place, but with each succeeding generation, it certainly becomes less moral, less Godly.
How this thought reminds me of my childhood.
As a kid, I liked to watch NFL Films. They featured old clips and stories from football games long ago. What always stood out to me was the fans in the stands. The men always wore suits, ties, and hats, like they were going to work. The women wore dresses of modest attire.
I always remember thinking, when and why did that change?
It changed as we all become a little less Godly. Parents became a little less Godly, which means children became a little less Godly.
Do you know why?
We let the world in, that’s why.
We allowed the world to tell us what is right and wrong, instead of the Bible. We began to entertain the thought, “It takes a village to raise a child”.
What a communist inspired message.
If you ever wanted to undermine society and interject your own thoughts into another man’s family, that’s the line to use. It certainly sounds good and caring, but it was always a trap. If you don’t believe me, just look at the youth of today.
Look at our world today.
If you think I would allow anyone to teach my children about morality, you must have a screw loose. Most people don’t even know what morality means anymore.
Backup Your Belief Through Actions
All of this came to mind as I read over an article from Barna which said,
So the majority of parents are concerned about their child’s faith, but what are they doing about it?
In most cases, not much.
Check this out.
Can you believe that?
So in reality, 65% of these parents don’t really believe they have a God-given purpose in life. If they truly did, then more than 15% of them would believe being obedient to God is a recipe for success. Instead, they just believe what makes them feel good.
As adults and parents, this has always been our problem.
Putting our beliefs into action. The fact of the matter is, most people certainly hold righteous beliefs. Yet, they rarely follow through on them. They will make excuses why not to adhere to them or ignore them outright.
Not only is this a negative reflection on ourselves, but our children are taking notice.
So if we cannot conform to our own beliefs, why on earth would we expect our children to?
Bad Parenting
I have witnessed so many examples of bad parenting, it makes my head spin. It got to be where I truly disliked hanging out with other parents, as their kids were allowed to scream and yell over adult conversation.
Mom always said, “Kids are to be seen and not heard.”
We always laughed as kids about it. She just wanted us to respect adults, by letting them be heard in their conversations instead of loud-mouthed kids. Apparently, no one else got that memo.
When our children were younger, we hung out with a fair amount of parents. Almost no one believed in spankings and it showed, (Proverbs 13:24). Their children always acted out, talked back, and didn’t stop until they got their way.
Shameful I thought.
I once had a work friend tell me, his child threw a tantrum and started hitting him. So the Dad (work friend) ran into the bathroom and locked the door to get away from his child.
I look at him in disbelief.
I didn’t have to say anything…
He responded with a slightly embarrassed smile, “You would never allow anything like that.”
I just shook my head and said, “No, I wouldn’t”.
He knew I am very humble, but a firm man in my beliefs. I truly felt bad for him, he had no clue how to raise his own child.
In light of that story, I want to provide some more perspective from my own past.
Mom’s Rules
Mom was certainly not a Bible thumper, she made some mistakes in life, as we all do. Growing up, we were a part of various denominations but rarely went to church. It was in spurts. However, Mom always tried to do what was right, and she always taught us right from wrong.
When we were younger, she would make us watch Billy Graham if he had a big event. There was another guy on TV too, but I didn’t care for him so much as a kid, but Mama Tried as the song goes.
One of the biggest things my Mom did that had the most influence on us, was ensuring she knew who we played with and told us what we were allowed to watch on television.
Mom’s rules:
Whenever we met a new kid, Mom would ask,
“Did Roger say any bad words”.
“No Mom”, we replied.
However, there were certainly times when we met kids who did cuss or act out. That’s when we told them,
We never had a friend who kept on cussing or acting out.
Instead, they actually stopped cussing so they could continue to be our friends. They would come over to the house. Everyone loved Mom because she was such a kick to hang out with! She had her rules, but she was fun.
I don’t know if it was Mom’s strategy, but ultimately, what she did was stop other people’s influence over us. Instead, she made us become an influence on other people.
It worked like a charm!
Now that right there is what each and every one of us has to do as parents. We have to flip the script, stop being the victim, and start setting the standard for everyone else.
Television shows were a big one.
Most people are still probably thinking,
Nope, and we didn’t care either.
That show had more rotten things in it than I care to remember. We saw clips of it, we heard kids talk about it. The show taught kids bad behavior, made the dad look like an idiot, and destroyed the family unit.
With all due respect, if you cannot see that. You too were brainwashed by that programming.
So you see, it’s the small things that parents must start standing up against. Otherwise, little by little, we become brainwashed into accepting the ways of the world. The next thing you know, we are raising children who have no respect for their parents or elders.
I see it everyday, and so do you.
The fact of the matter is, you don’t make a difference by doing what everyone else does.
Study and news with a fresh Christian perspective in your inbox.
Rebuff The World
We didn’t arrive at this wicked point in history by mistake. We arrived here as parents stopped putting God first, and stopped concerning themselves with the details of their children’s lives.
Today, Christian parents allow their kids to watch whatever they want, and play all the video games the world has to offer. This corrupts the mind of our children to the ways of the world.
Did I not just prove that?
Then, just the other day a reader sent me a video of a kid playing Roblox. The game had a pentagram in it, and the Devil was sitting on a throne right in the center of it.
Is that really something you want your child viewing and partaking of?
Where is the Christian value in that?
Teach The Kids
Lest you get the wrong idea, you don’t shield your children from the world either. We tell our kids everything about the world, and they even drop in on World Events and the Bible.
Whenever I tell my children about the world, I tell them all sides of the argument. I tell them the Conservative and Liberal points of view. I tell them about evolution, racism, transgenderism, and homosexuality.
I tell them what God said about it, and I tell them the homosexual argument as well.
Then I let them make up their mind about whatever the topic is.
“Woah”, you’re thinking.
Relax.
I ask them, is that natural (transgenders)?
Their response, “No”.
The first time I told my kids about homosexuality, do you know how I described it?
I simply said, “It’s when two men snuggle together like Mom and Dad.”
They cringed their faces and said, “Eww, gross!”
I didn’t have to say another word, they got the point on that one. I did my job as a parent and stood firm with God.
Hey, this whole homosexuality/transgenderism thing is a slam dunk. It’s unnatural. One doesn’t need to get into the minute details with children to explain the situation. A situation that is now commonly accepted, as those before us gave ground to anti-God behavior.
Well, I never will, and I don’t want you to either.
Do you know why?
God hates homosexuality, it’s a sin.
One more note here…
You want to be the one who converses with your children about these things. If you wait and let some professor do it, they will have your child believing they evolved from slime or something worse.
Get Involved
So as a parent, you must get involved in your child’s life. You are the parent, they are the child. You set the rules and you ensure they follow those ground rules. If you don’t, your children will walk all over you.
No one listens to a pushover.
As a parent, you let God be the center of your family and you revolve around Him. He sets the standard for you and your children.
With that said, I want to provide you a Biblical example from the past.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
Turn you Bible with me to,
Eli was a priest of God and a good man. Yet, his sons were very wicked.
This was an abomination.
I am surprised God didn’t knock them dead on the spot. Nevertheless, these were the actions of Eli’s two sons. Eli’s sons certainly did not display the righteous actions of a priest of God, did they?
Let’s read what Eli said to his sons.
It’s a bit late in life for this chat. Eli’s sons are grown men at this point. It’s a bit too late to discipline them, that should have happened as a child. Even so, Eli could have stopped them from such behavior.
God already had laws in place for Israel that even included the death penalty for heinous acts. Eli decided a slap on the wrist was appropriate.
I imagine some of you are thinking, ‘Eli just had a couple of bad souls for sons.’ Those are the thoughts of people who do not take accountability.
Let’s see what God has to say.
God told us what things in 1 Samuel 2:27-36.
Now we can read why He said those things.
God essentially put a curse on the house of Eli.
The reason?
Eli failed to raise up his children properly. Eli was a priest of God! Yet, the man could not raise up his family in the Lord. He knew they were bad boys, but he didn’t restrain them as he should have.
That is not taking accountability.
God does not like it, God does not respect or honor that.
While Eli’s children may have been bad souls to begin with, that is what discipline is for. That is what correction is for. Sometimes we lose sight of that and we think we are hurting a child. Disciple is no fun for anyone.
However, not disciplining a child and watching them grow into rebellious adults is a thousand times worse.
Summary
Over the years, I have heard from a lot of Christian parents that admit, their children have gone astray. It’s so sad to hear. Only the parent knows the influence they had on their child growing up, only that parent knows the situation.
This article is for those who are raising children right now. Let this article be your eye-opener. You have today, you have right now to make a difference. Not only in your child’s life, but in the world. Your children are going to grow up and influence other people.
What kind of influence will they be is the question.
What path are you setting them on right now?
Your take away…
Always ensure you know who your children are interacting with, and what they are being entertained by. Do not allow the world to be an influence on your children. Instead, let your proper Christian life be an influence on your children and the world.
As a friend once told me, “Well trained dogs and children are no accident.”