Someone spoke with me about my recent comment about making sure our children are being taught truth and not concepts or beliefs that do not match up with what we, as parents believe, or more importantly, what God's Word says.
Let me first say that I made a terrible mistake this year when I chose what I thought was the perfect self directed Bible curriculum for Savannah to do on her own. As I was making her lesson plans for the first half of the year, I got to the end....the appendix of the book, and notice 3 or 4 extra pages of text. Curiously I browsed over them and realized that the doctrine of salvation did not match up with what I believe God's Word teaches. I tore out the pages and threw them away. How could I have missed this!!!??? Thankfully God allowed me to see them before she had worked her way through. Would it have hurt her to read the material? Would she have been influenced? Would she have questioned what we are teaching her? I don't know. But it's my job to protect her and teach her the basics of God's Word so that one day, when she is old enough she will be able to defend her faith. I'm still working on the foundation, I can't afford to have bad information messing with her foundation.
I need to be more aware. I need to ask more questions. I need to be the safest place for discussions about church, God, the Bible and doctrine. I need to be prepared. I'm only fooling myself if I don't think there are any false teachers, doctrines and curriculum out there. I'm only fooling myself if I think I can blindly trust every person who is influencing my kids. In the sheltered life we lead here are the people that have a direct influence on my children each week:
4 Sunday School Teachers
6-8 Children's Church workers
6-8 Awana Leaders
2 School Teachers
1 Piano Teacher
3 Choir Teachers
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22 Adults a week, influence my children - on the low end
This doesn't include parents, grandparents, babysitters or anyone else that for whatever reason would influence them.
I'm not an alarmist....in fact, usually the opposite, but I am the parent...and it's my job to question, wonder, investigate, and double check to be sure I know what's going on.
It's my job...and privilege.
Just curious....how many adults influence your children? Leave a comment and let me know.
1 comment:
My husband always says, you can't take the world out of the world, the world is everywhere - meaning regardless of what we do the world is always going to be there influencing our children and ourselves. Here's what I know though - focus on God and your problem falls, focus on the problem and you fall. I don't think I could put a number on how many adults/children are influencing my kids - it's simply too many to count. I have to focus instead on God's control and know that every single person, situation, and thing they encounter is from God, for God, and working for good. I honestly don't even trust myself because I don't have all the answers...so I pray that God is leading them, guiding them, teaching them what they need to know. Max Ludado once said, "one of the wisest things a parent can do is give their children back to God." I love this and try to remember it often!!
Your care and compassion for your children is evident. May God bless you!
Big Fat Mama
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