Parents ache if their little baby grows up to do wrong. In tears they might say, "But I taught him what was right. What went wrong?" What can make the difference between raising a faithful Joseph or a rebellious Jeroboam?
1. Just Teaching What Is Right Does Not Keep People From Doing Wrong
God told Adam and Eve what was right. But Eve ate of the fruit anyway. God told Jonah what was right but he intentionally ran in the opposite direction. Jeroboam knew what was right, but he deliberately sinned. The list goes on and on. Just knowing what is right, does not prevent people from sinning. Understanding why people chose to do wrong, can help us in training our children.
2.The reason people sin is because they are listening to more than just God.
Because Eve believed that the fruit was good for food and could make her wise, she ate it. Because Jonah believed that the Ninevites should be destroyed and he knew that God would forgive them if they repented, he disobeyed. Although God had told Jeroboam that God would establish his throne if he was faithful, Jeroboam set up idols because he believed he would lose the people's allegiance if they worshipped in Jerusalem. Listening to wrong beliefs undermines faithful actions. Our beliefs empower our desires and actions. Sinful behavior comes from listening to the wrong beliefs.
3.Having accepted wrong beliefs, people pursue the wrong goals through the wrong paths.
Eve wanted to be like God. Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh to be destroyed. Jeroboam wanted to protect his dynasty. Whether it be Eve, Jonah, David, Joseph or our children, people try to obtain their goals through what they believe will assist them. This suggests both the critical nature of accepting:
1) The real goals for life which God reveals through His word and2) The desire to pursue godly paths toward achieving those goals.
4. What is the solution?
What our children need involves more than just a mere knowledge of God's Word. They need to allow God to shape their inner being, shape the goals they desire to pursue and how they will pursue them. When this happens parents will discover a David confronting Goliath, a Joseph fleeing the arms of Potipher's wife or a Shadrach willing to face a blazing furnace because a young person is living for God. Our children also need to be able to perceive and to decisively reject the lies of the evil one which would tempt them to do wrong.
5. As A Parent, What Can I Do?
First, be a Deborah, a Joseph, a David and a Shadrach. Through your own life, deliberately model your conviction that Jesus is Lord of your decisions, your pocketbook and your life. Show them that for you God's ways are truly the most important aspect of your life. For you, God ways are the only way. The security God provides is real security. The meaning for life which God gives is the only true source of meaning. Just as you knew the real motivation which drove your parents' decisions, so too you are an open book to your children. And they are learning what you really believe about life.
Secondly, verbally teach what is right while exposing and rejecting false ideas. This necessitates more than just preaching to our children. It requires a continuous dialogue with our children about life. Deliberately undermine the power which the tempter wields through sowing lies and beliefs contrary to God's word.
Raising kids requires more than just telling them what is right and wrong. Raising kids necessitates helping them to grow into a faith that relies upon God and which is driven by a love for God. It might be that the faithful story of your life shaped by God will be the difference that convinces them to serve Him also.
Additional resources which may be of help:
When the Rubber Meets the Road (Help for Young People In Overcoming Temptation)