Parents, Tell Your Children
Scripture Reading — Proverbs 22:4-6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
—Proverbs 22:6
Parents often face a moral dilemma at the admission gates of theme parks and sporting events. If a child is in a more expensive age bracket but looks young enough to pass for a cheaper rate, the parents are tempted to lie about the child’s age, thinking it might be better to save money.
But if we let one sin in the door, others follow. A parent’s lie at the admission gate amounts to stealing from the company. It suggests to a child who is watching that it’s no big deal to lie to Mom or Dad or to steal from them or others. And if a lying, stealing parent tries to use discipline on a lying, stealing child, that only drives a wedge between the generations. “Do as I say, not as I do” does not “start children off on the way they should go.”
Children’s lives can mirror their parents’ lives in frightfully convicting ways—or, conversely, in wonderfully affirming ways. Forgiveness from God is the only way forward.
Parents prove each day that they are sinners, and admitting this to their children clears the air and points them to Jesus. It’s never too late to apologize. What a fine Christian witness it is when parents admit their need for God`s grace! The way to God is the way to go.
Dear Jesus, you laid down your life to forgive all our sins. I confess my selfishness, lies, and other sins. Thank you for your grace. By your Spirit, let your righteousness fill me so that I can lead by example. Amen.
About the author — Daryl DeKlerk
Daryl DeKlerk pastors a church in Jarvis, Ontario. He is thankful for a sabbatical that enabled him to study the theme of Grace-filled Christian Witness. Daryl and his wife have three young children who keep them on their toes and on their knees in prayer.
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