"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth." -Psalm 127:4
The world’s greatest mission field is not the Dark Continent of Africa, nor is it the highlands of Papua New Guinea, or the jungles of South America. Are you ready for this?
The greatest mission field today is the hearts of our children. And today forces more sinister and frightening than the vipers of the jungle and more devastating than malaria which no longer responds to medicines are making their bids for the hearts of our children and grandchildren.
Today our children are both our greatest challenge and our greatest mission field. But here is the question: How do we respond to the evil and sinister forces which challenge them? Turn off the TV set. Give them the gift of yourself, and strive to include them in your overloaded schedule. Yes, but even more.
For a long while we parents have depended on others to do what we alone can do. We expect institutions such as schools and churches and organizations to convey values and provide an education framework. We expect that our offspring will absorb whatever is necessary to succeed in life, and so we pay for it—tuition for education, music lessons, karate, ballet and sports. We also provide computers, color television sets, 18-speed bicycles, basketballs and the latest of digital audio equipment. But often neglected are the personal element of parental love and the deeper lessons of what life is all about, including the spiritual.
I’ve often said that values in life are caught—not taught. I still believe that, but I also believe the gift of parental love, the strong kind which includes caring enough to be there, and to provide discipline and guidance until a child is old enough to make good decisions, is the only thing that will get kids through the jungle which is out there.
When a child knows that he or she is really loved and will be accepted regardless of what happens, it gives a youngster stability, which makes it much easier to stand on his own two feet and dare to be different. A parent’s goal should be growing a kid so strong that when you aren’t there, he won’t need you; and that can only be done through patient guidance, discipline, and love.
What is the gift of love? Simply put, it is the gift of yourself. No longer do kids worry much about the Earth’s being incinerated by nuclear fission, nor do many children worry about having enough to eat—though some do. But a lot of children today worry about whether Mommy and Daddy will stay together. The fear of divorce has now become children’s greatest fear. One of the greatest gifts a parent can give his child is to love the child’s mother or dad, as the case may be.
The note left on the teacher’s desk read, “Dear Miss [teacher]… I need a hug. At the end of the day, would you please give me a hug? I know you’d rather be hugging your own children but I’m hurting. Love, Becky.” Becky was an eleven-year-old girl, overweight and desperate for love. Her dad was an attorney whose wife had divorced him and wanted her independence. Becky’s grandmother was raising her and did the best she could.
But there is none who can take the place of your mother or dad. Dr. Ross Campbell, a psychiatrist whose book How to Really Love Your Children, has more than a half-million copies in print, says that he has never treated an adolescent involved in sexual misconduct who felt loved by her parents. Especially important and needful is the love of a dad.
Interestingly enough the first mention of the word love in the Bible was that of a father’s love for his son. The father was Abraham and the son was Isaac. Question: Could Becky be your child, desperately in need of love? Remember, your child may be a mission field. Don’t forget it.
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