Raising Godly Kids in an Ungodly Culture

Tonight was the first in a series of studies by our pastor on raising Godly kids in an ungodly culture. I was moved by some of the facts given! Here are some of the facts he quoted about kids in America today:

• Out of 35 million kids ages 5-12, 1/3 of them will become believers by the time they are 13. After the age of 13, only 4% will accept Christ. Why is that? After the age 13, parents are no longer the major source of influence.

• American students are behind a full year or two compared to students their same age in other countries! That is startling to me!

• 1 out of 8 kids in America is obese.

• 1 out of 10 kids in America have sex BEFORE they turn 13!!!! 13!!!

• Binge drinking and prescription drugs are being abused regularly by teens today.

• 1 million students each year do not attend school at least one day due to fear of being hurt at school.

• There is a large lack of medical attention due to no medical insurance.

• 1 out of 4 students live in poverty or below poverty conditions in America.

• Eating disorders, cutting and embedding are on the rise among teens.

What does all this mean? Our children are at risk!

What does God's Word tell us? Matthew 18:1-6 is the story when Jesus tells a man how to get to heaven. He sees a boy and has him come over and tells the crowd that we all should be more like this child in our faith and if we hinder this child in their belief than we would be better off at the bottom of the ocean. (majorly paraphrased...read it for full impact!) That does a few things...it gave the child:

• worth

• love/compassion

• protection

Our kids still need all of that! They need to know they have worth in our eyes, in God's eyes and in the eyes of their family/friends. How often do I speak that to my girls? How often do you speak to your child about their worth to you? I was so convicted of this.

Again, in Matthew 3:17 is when Jesus was baptized and the heavens opened up to hear a voice saying, "This is my son whom I love." Our pastor pointed out two things...first of all that our kids need to hear about our love for them. But also that look at the words..."This is My Son...." means God was bragging on His boy to those around. What a powerful example! How often I will share in the heartache of parenting with my friends...but do I also share in the joys? I hope so, but sometimes I think it gets so easy to share the yuck we forget just what joy there is even in those moments. WE don't mean to not say to the world..."This is my daughter, whom I love!" We just tend to send the message of ," This is my daughter, who just made this mess!" I think it is very easy for our human eyes to see the flaws and not point out the things we see that bless us as well as bless God.

Another startling fact he brought out was that 3 out of 4 professors at universities are not believers and some have been quoted as saying they make it their goal to change the views of fundamental evangelical Christian kids who come into their class by the end of the semester. What?! So the point is, we need to make sure we are teaching our kids to LOVE GOD and not just follow rules. The rules will leave them when they leave our home and if they don't love God with all their heart they will not stand up under the pressure of the world. They will become that statistic. He mentioned that we raise our kids to send them out into the world to remain faithful to God forever. Are we doing that? Nothing is more important than raising our kids to love and honor God. Nothing. No car we have to have. No house we want to have. No degree or title. No sport. Nothing! If that is true, what do I need to adjust in my home to make sure I am not overlooking the most important job I have during the most important window of opportunity?

I have come home with a new challenge on my heart. I have 10 special kids in my life right off the bat...my girls and my nieces and nephews..there are 10 all together. That got me thinking...which one of those kids am I willing to sit back and say nothing to about God's ways and watch them become that stat at age 13 to be sexually active? Which one will be obese? Which ones will not come to know the Lord? Which ones will focus more on the pressures of this world than on God and choose to hurt their own bodies? That is so heavy on my heart. My girls are 9 and 12 (almost). That window of opportunity is closing in way too fast for me. I am so thrilled to know that both my girls accepted Jesus at an early age and have shown a heart to serve Him. However, I wonder, am I teaching them to follow the rules or to fall in love with Jesus? I don't know for sure, but one thing I know is next time I write about our Bible Study...I'll have made some changes and I can say with confidence that I am showing my girls how to love Jesus first and serve others before ourselves. One step at a time. I love challenges so this is just what this mom needed to hear. I am up for the battle and I know who my enemy is...even more amazing... I know who my redeemer, savior, creator, protector, God of Gods, Lord of Lords, Abba Father and the great I AM is as well. And He never loses!