Published On: 16 Aug,2010

There is no one who loves children more than our Lord. He is aware of their needs and knows more than anyone about the developmental process all children must go through. God understands everything about each child’s particular gifts and potential, and longs to see them become mature and fruitful children of God. In other words, God loves our children and has a wonderful plan for their lives.

 

Parents are responsible to take the lead, with Gods guidance, in raising their children. The foremost goal for every parent is to introduce their children to Jesus and to secure their eternal salvation. Everything else is secondary to the salvation of their souls. The second greatest priority is for parents to help establish a firm foundation of faith in the hearts of their children. Jesus taught that our faith is more precious than gold and will equip us to accomplish God’s plan for our lives.

 

Building faith in the heart of a child is easier said than done. One illustration that helps us understand the process is the parable of the sower. It teaches us the heart is like a garden and our instruction like seeds being sown into the heart. Children receive our seeds of wisdom eagerly; however those seeds can also be easily uprooted, crowded out, or smothered if we are not careful to properly tend the garden of their heart. We cannot control all of the things that influence our children, but we can structure their daily routines in order to promote good “inputs” and discourage bad ones.

 

There are three main locations of influence in our culture. They are home, school, and church. Each will have an effect on the faith in our children’s heart. Not only will the words that are spoken to them have an effect upon their heart, but more importantly the “lives” that are lived in front of children at each of these locations will have a greater impact. It is not what we say but what we do that is more easily remembered and leaves a lasting imprint.

 

At home the times we spend reading the scripture, praying, and discussing the simple principles of Christian living make for rich and wonderful times and produce many lasting memories for the future. However time spent in front of the TV and other media outlets can bring in another culture which can easily crowd out the good seeds sown at home.

 

At church the family worships God with other Christian families and together receives skilled instruction on growing in everyday Christian living. Selecting a good church and taking advantage of all the church has to offer can go a long way toward insuring a strong and happy family.

 

When kids reach school age, parents are faced with educational choices that will affect their children for the rest of their lives. The choice of where to send a child to school can be very difficult. Schools vary in quality like grades on a report card. When the choice is made and school begins, children are at first eager learners and very impressionable. They look up to their teacher and will take on the character traits modeled in the classroom. Unfortunately in public schools there is limited Christian influence. Christian teachers must hide their faith, and prayer is not permitted. The bible is not in view and there are no scriptures on the bulletin boards. Traditional Christian values are frowned upon while a progressive, politically correct, relativistic philosophy permeates the classrooms. There is no battle here between light and darkness. The light has been kicked out, and darkness rules. The testimony of the Lord is not heard and Christian principles are not reinforced. This is no place for raising Christian children. Public schools have become like faith destroying factories. If you send your children to a public school, you will be isolated from them all day long. You have little opportunity to influence the curriculum, and will not know what they are being exposed to on a regular basis. With such a rich Christian history, how did our nation come to this?

 

At Christian schools children are nurtured in faith and academics. There is a blending of the spiritual with the practical. The school is free to develop a curriculum that accommodates the desire of parents, the demands of society, and the needs of students. It provides the best atmosphere for learning. Whatever the expense, Christian schools pay lasting dividends.

 

By the time our children reach the 8^th grade their most deeply held beliefs will have already been permanently established and will change little for the rest of their lives. This well-researched concept is the reason so many businesses market their products to the 11-13 yr. age group. If they can get them to accept whatever lifestyle they are selling, the kids will remain loyal customers for a long time. Children are targets for anyone and everyone who want to sell a product or influence society. 

 

Sending children to a Christian school is the best choice in our society today. Remember the example of the children of Israel who were delivered from slavery and brought miraculously to the Promised Land. It was not those who grew up under the influence of Egyptian culture who were able to take the Promised Land since everyone except Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness. It was those children of Israel who were born in the wilderness and who never experienced Egyptian culture that were able to enter into the Promised Land and received the inheritance. Perhaps the lesson here is that the more we are able to separate ourselves from the destructive influences of our current society, the better off we will be. "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you (2 Cor.6:17).