God Isn’t Scratching His Head
How far we’ve come since the worst thing that we could get punished for in school was chewing gum or triggering (with a ball point pen) a stink bomb! Whew! I can still smell that in the halls of my school or the chemistry classroom. And fast forward a few decades to the 2020’s and so much raucous at schools, and not just the kids, but the parents too!
It begs us to wonder if there is hope for this up-and-coming generation. But, as parents and grandparents, we can still prioritize the importance of “The Golden Rule” and God’s rules as a high priority in our family’s lives. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
I’d like to take the credit for the following words for parents (actually for all of us), but the credit goes to Alex Cravens, a Youth Pastor at Russellville First Assembly in Russellville, Arkansas. I’m giving credit where credit is due, and we were long overdue for this good word:
“Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be. God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident.Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God. Train them up in the authority of His Word. Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control.
Empower them to know they can change the world. Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world but hopeful that they can do something about it.Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan. He knew Daniel could handle the lions’ den. He knew David could handle Goliath. He knew Esther could handle Haman. He knew Peter could handle persecution. He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it!
Don’t be scared for your children but be honored that God chose YOU to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime. Rise up to the challenge. Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers and Peters!God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world. He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth. Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them, but they were born for such a time as this.~Alex Cravens
Alex then gives a postscript:
*There have been some negative comments over the wording of part of this post. I don’t want to mess with the original, but I do want to try to clarify because I believe it’s an important issue. I would NEVER suggest that Daniel, David, Esther, Peter, anyone else from the Word or any of us could ever do ANYTHING in our own strength. He knew these biblical heroes could handle these situations only because He found them to be faithful. Because of their dependence on Him they were equipped to handle these impossible situations.
We should rely on God to sustain, empower, equip, and protect us. If we aren’t dependent on Him and consistent in building our relationship with Him, we won’t be able to change a thing. We are all broken and sinful people who are blessed that God chooses to love and use us. Read your Bible, pray, and get involved in a church. That is where your strength lies. That’s how your children learn who they are. It’s not in your own power. It’s in His!
And, Alex, I say a big “AMEN” to your words! God bless you and God bless our children and us!