Children, obey your parents
in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1
Pam and Lisa stood in Lisa’s driveway chatting, unaware that
their toddlers were inching nearer the street, chasing a butterfly. Far down
the block, a truck careened around the corner and hurtled toward them. Pam
whirled to see her son Blake step into the street, followed by Lisa’s daughter,
Jenny. “Stop!” both mothers screamed.
Lisa leaped to her feet. “Jenny! Come
back!” Jenny gave her mother a mischievous grin and continued her butterfly
chase. Pam raced down the drive, knowing she would never reach her son in time.
“Blake! Stop! Now!” she ordered.
Blake froze to the spot and turned toward his mother as the truck roared past.
Across the street, Jenny’s tiny body lay in a crumpled heap. One child had
learned how to obey; one had not.
Teaching children obedience is not very popular these days. We’re
all about self-esteem and reasoning with our two-year olds. We are victims of
Satan’s subtle message that children are fragile creatures whose self-worth
will shatter at a raised voice or a lowered paddle. The barrage of conflicting
information from so-called “experts” is enough to make even the most grounded
parent cringe with insecurity. But the God who designed children has given us
clear instructions about how to raise them. When we insist that they instantly
obey a loving command, we protect them from harm and produce wonderful little
people who are a delight to everyone. When children learn to obey their
parents, they take a giant step toward learning to obey God.
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