Christian Parenting

The following are the heartbreaking demographics of a very special group of children:

*They are 10 times more likely to be abused physically and/or sexually.
*They are four times more likely to become alcoholic.
*They are six times more likely to abuse drugs.
*They are three times more likely to have behavioral disorders.
*They are two times more likely to drop out of school.
*They are 12 times more likely to end up in prison.
*They are three times more likely to become an unwed parent.
*They are five times more likely to live in poverty.
*They are three times more likely to commit suicide.

Who are these children? They are the children of divorce.

Have you ever read these sobering statistics before? Chances are the answer is no, because we live in a permissive society that believes in self above all else, and that includes our children. The psychobabble that passes as counseling, sometimes even “Christian” counseling, says you have a right to be happy no matter the cost to others. And to make that obviously selfish bottom line palatable, we’ve been taught, and readily believe, that it’s better for children if they don’t live in a home fractured by those who are suppose to be the adults, but all too often are the weak link in the family equation. So we “do our own thing,” and damn the consequences. We commit adultery, we get divorced, we remarry, and in the process make our children feel unsafe in every fiber of their being, often for the rest of their lives.

As bad as this is, as hateful it is to our children, we, by taking the path of temptation and spiritual disobedience, have done something else few ever consider. Absent true repentance and making right that which we have made wrong, we have chosen to lose our salvation.

For those who doubt this crucial biblical gestalt, let’s start with Jesus, who said, “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:5-6) Jesus, the Son of God, a man of peace, felt so strongly about children that he thought it would be better for a person who causes them harm to be drowned.

Combine that admonition with 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” Lest there be a misunderstanding, providing for our own goes well beyond court-ordered child support payments and joint custody. The biblical context means providing for our children’s needs financially, physically, emotionally, and above all else, spiritually. Read the statistics above again and you’ll start to make the connection.

The Bible is replete with personal instructions that lead to bringing our children to the feet of the Lord through our personal sacrificial example(s). But if we refuse to do as God asks, we, according to the Holy Book, become “worse than an infidel.”

And that means we will not be sharing everlasting life with our Savior, as He will not spend forever with those He brands “worse than an infidel. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

But there is an answer. No matter your circumstances, remember the sacrifice of our Savior. He was willing to die for his children, just as we should be willing to die for ours.