I don’t even know why I’m writing this today, other than I believe God wants me to. And I wish I thought He didn’t. As you read it, know I wrote it begrudgingly. And the purpose is not to make anyone feel guilty, but to point out that change is needed.
Train up children in the way they should go,
And when they are old they will not depart from it.
~ Proverbs 22:6
I just read something about belief and it struck me that we are “Educating our kids out of belief”. And when I say this, I mean the importance of following, and even faith at all in Jesus.
Kids and young people see that hardly anyone makes God a priority. If we have a kid in the band or gymnastics or travel ball team, we will get up at 6 a.m. or get home at 1 a.m.. We will drive hours, leave work early or change shifts, and sometimes go as far as get a hotel room so we can attend. We are showing them by example that those things are important. And I am not throwing stones here. I admit I did the same thing.
And this is probably a waste of cyberspace writing this today, because all I’m likely to do is make people mad. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t a pastor so I would not look like I’m only seeking to serve my own interests when I write things like this. I just pray parents could step back and get a macro view of what they are teaching their kids about priorities. And I’m not arguing that they cannot also learn from their extra-curricular events. I’m arguing that for most youth, that’s the only place they are learning.
Well, there and in the schools. We send them to school to be educated and they are being educated, alright. They are being “educated out of belief.” Even the poor teachers who are Believers, risk their jobs if they try to help the kids by pointing to Jesus. And I’m not even arguing that it’s the school’s job to teach them to follow Jesus. But I also do not see the school’s job as talking them out of following Jesus, yet that is what is happening.
Most young people are not growing in their faith at home, they’re not growing in their faith at school, and hardly any of them are being taken to church, which is about their last chance to grow into Believers. We are training up children in the way they should not go. And one day we should not be surprised when they will not depart from it.
(And I emphasize, there are a few exceptions to today’s post, but not many.)
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Scott Knowlton's Blog 