It Doesn't Take A Village
But Jesus said,"Let the There is a philosophy that is really popular right now that really upsets, and even frightens, me. It is the idea that "It Takes A Village" to properly raise a child in today's world. This idea was formally introduced in a book by that name by former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who also gave us the Whitewater scandal, and the Rose Law Firm lost papers scandal, and the Travelgate scandal, and the Savings & Loan Bankruptcy scandal......now that's someone whose advice I'd really value when it comes to teaching children issues such as decency, honesty, and morality! The general idea is, parents alone cannot adequately rear their own children. Because there are so many single mothers, and so many working mothers, they cannot successfully nurture and raise a child without help from the community in general, the "village". The proponents of this philosophy feel that the "village" should all have some responsibility in rearing our children; thus the "village" has a large amount of input into what and how they are taught, and what moral and religious training they receive. Like many other terrible things, this one seems, at least on the face of it, to be a great idea, for the ultimate good of each individual and society as a whole. But just like sin, which also presents itself as both good and good for you, there is black wickedness hidden underneath. And unfortunately, we cannot see the blackness until we are already so far into it that it seems hopeless to get out and remove ourselves from the sure destruction it brings. It is not the responsibility of the "village" to rear our children--- it is ours, plain and simple. We cannot turn this responsibility over to others. Whether we planned them or not, whatever the circumstances of their birth, our children are a heritage from God, and it is both our privilege and our responsibility to rear them. The very first problem with others helping to rear our children is: just exactly WHOSE values are being taught? You can bet that the values Mrs. Clinton and other like-minded liberals would teach are vastly different that those I would teach my own children. Do I want schools and teachers and groups with an agenda teaching my children right and wrong? Oh, wait --- I forgot!!!! According to these liberals, there is no absolute right or wrong, everything is relative! To them, morality depends on your own personal code of ethics. That is exactly why today, our sons and daughters can be given forms of birth control in public schools, without the knowledge or consent of the parents. That is why they are being taught evolution as a fact, instead of the half-baked theory it is, and always has been. That is why our daughters can be given abortions, again without our knowledge and consent. They can be given this terrible surgical procedure with long-term physical and psychological effects, even when they cannot be treated for a broken arm without the parent's consent. That is why our children are being taught that homosexuality is not only acceptable, but even desirable, even though the Almighty God calls it "an abomination". We have far too often seen the tragic results of this pervasive belief. Let's be courageous enough to face the truth: There IS an absolute standard of right and wrong. God set forth HIS standards of morality in His book. Whether we choose to believe it or not, His words are true, and will stand forever. They have never been proven false, although many have tried. However, the harder they try to disprove God's word, the more they end up proving the validity of it. So, given that there truly is an absolute standard of right and wrong, why on earth would anyone want to teach their children something else? There has to be an underlying reason for pushing such a false and damaging perversion of truth. They will not be happy until they have disposed of every shred of morality. Then their own wickedness will not be so evident, if everyone else is wicked also. That is really the heart of the problem: society in general has fallen away from God's word. The Bible is very clear about children, and about how to bring them up. It does not take a village to bring up a child; it takes a loving parent who takes God's word seriously. We cannot go too far wrong if we live by the standards God sets forth in His word, and teaching them to our children. "You will therefore keep His statutes, and his commandments, which I command you this day, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days upon the earth, which the LORD your God gave you, for ever." (Deut. 4:40) That seems pretty plain to me. You do not have to be a Rhodes scholar to understand God's words. They are very plain and to the point. The Bible also says: "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: And 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 up." (Deut. 6:5-7) So, we as parents are to keep His statutes and commands ourselves, and teach them diligently to our children. We are to realize that our children are precious gifts from God, not burdens, mistakes, or accidents. The Bible tells us, in Psalm 127:3: "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward." And then God has even more advice for rearing our children properly. Proverbs 22:6 tells us: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." It is very important to lay the groundwork while they are very young. You can't wait until a child is facing all the things our public schools will throw at them. You have to begin in their earliest years, laying a firm foundation for them to build on. We cannot, as so many parents say these days, leave it up to them to make their own spiritual decisions. We not only abdicate the responsibilities God has given us, we make a terrible and costly mistake that can send our precious children on a downhill path straight to hell. Yes, it IS that serious! If we neglect to teach them Godliness at home in their formative years, chances are, they will never come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The "village" will see to that. It does not take a village to bring up our children. In fact, the village can undermine God-given parental rights very quickly, especially in matter of discipline. The prevailing attitude today is that any correction is bad for the child; we mustn't damage their little egos or shatter their self-esteem. But the Bible plainly tells us strict discipline is very necessary in bringing up children: Chasten your son while there is hope, and let not your soul spare for his crying. (Prov. 19:18) At the same time, the Bible also protects children, warning parents against being harsh dictators, rather than living examples and loving teachers. Ephesians 6:4 says: "And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the LORD." It does not take a village to bring up our children. In fact, if we neglect our parental responsibilities and fail to teach our children Godliness, the village will teach them ungodliness. We need to be very careful what kind of parents we are. We will, each and every one of us, answer to Him one day. He will not ask how how well the "village" took care of our children; rather, He will ask, did we do our best to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the LORD". What is your answer going to be? .....Choose you this day whom ye will serve.....but as for me
|
