Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Wednesday, 16 June 2021 05:41

Musings On Fathers’ Day
by Terry Broome

A pre-school boy asked his father what he thought concerning a certain subject. The father gave his views and then asked the little fellow what he thought about the subject. The youngster answered, “I think what you do, Daddy.” There’s a time in every little child’s life when Dad, Mom, they’re heroes. To a child his father stands 10 feet tall and is the strongest man in the world. How many of us have seen our little children trying to stretch their footsteps to let each step fit into the print in the dirt that we’ve left behind.

This is a sobering realization for they also pick up our bad habits! Some kids pick up smoking cigarettes and eventually go on into drugs because they saw Dad/Mom smoking and started themselves at an early age. Some sneak in and try out the liquor cabinet when they see their heroes doing it! Some pick up language that should bring a blush. All the more reason that we should strive to be Christian fathers and mothers. A child’s complete confidence in parents is a beautiful thing to behold. God has given us the opportunity to shape and mold a life of innocence and purity. What a stewardship! Some parents take this role very seriously and live before their children the way God would want them to. Others mistreat their children either physically, emotionally, or “influentially.” Yes, I believe we can mistreat our children by exercising an influence over them that points them away from God.

As parents let’s be sure that we do nothing to destroy that youthful confidence and trust our children place in us. However, the day must ultimately come when the child will have to do his own thinking. Someday he will make his own decisions without parental guidance. This is a part of becoming mature. Wouldn’t it be a comfort to approach that time believing that you have equipped the child with all the right attitudes and examples to where you have reasonable confidence they will make the right choices. Of course, they’ll make some mistakes! We all do. But seeds you sowed many years back and cultivated up to the present will most often pay off in the child’s ability to see good and evil and choose that which is good.
The Apostle Paul sets for us a charge to keep regarding our children: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:1-4).

An added thought: Wouldn’t it be ideal if every child of God had this type of childlike confidence in our Heavenly Father’s thinking as well? Making God’s thoughts our thoughts is the cherished goal of every loyal child of God. The time will never come when we can afford to leave God’s thinking and do our own, independent of his wishes. In your thinking do you run counter to God, go ahead of him, lag behind him, or seek to run with him in your thoughts?
The author can be reached for comments at 256-574-2489.