Ever decide to take a road trip?
What did you do first? Determine your destination? Now that’s a dumb question, isn’t it. You need to know where you’re going. Consider the time factor and travel route?
I certainly hope so. Consult a map? Of course, unless you enjoy loosing the way you should go.
If we spend time and energy planning simple road trips, why would we contemplate embarking on the eternal journey of parenting without a plan? Without determining the destination? Without a route to travel? Without a road map?
Yet, that’s what most of us do.
We have grown up in this serendipity age of “whatever be, will be.” One day we’re single—then we’re not. One day we’re a couple—then we’re not. One day everything’s fine—then it’s not. And we find ourselves in the midst of an enormous crisis, wondering how on earth we got there.
And we got there because we raced out of the starting gate without giving a thought to our destination, our route of travel, and with no idea of when, where or how we would arrive at wherever we were going. Like Eve, deceived by the master manipulator, caught up in his whirlwind of lies about life, and facing the consequences of happenstance living.
We truck mindlessly up and down the winding roads of fads and traditions. My husband and I raised our children during the age of good old Dr. Spock. It didn’t take but a few chapters of Spock compared with the Word God to know which life map to follow.
Unless you read only Spock’s instructions. Which many parents did. And the battle accelerated.
Instead of God’s road map, we chose to take a detour down the dead-end road of time-outs with no consequences for a child’s unacceptable behavior. Ignoring God’s instruction, we have tromped into the quagmire of reducing father to a silly, laughable figure on prime time TV. Replacing him with the I am woman hear me roar wife.
Only roaring wasn’t what it was cracked up to be, so mom escaped into the fantasy of day and nighttime soap operas while dad turned into a workaholic who came home only long enough to change clothes for the gym, golf course, or hunting lease. Home became a war zone. The children took over and the family disintegrated.
Without God’s order there is chaos.
Left to themselves, children learned to play games too—mom vs. dad. While television, movies, social media, and the fashion industry turned up the volume. Get more, be more, do more. More toys, more work, more debt. Which equates to less. Less God, less relationships, and less contentment with all things.
The bombs of opposition to the truth of God’s Word explode every where we turn. Only the Word of God can dispel and heal the deadly radiation of these lies. But parents, if we don’t know this truth or are afraid to speak His truth to our children, these mini-wanna-be-adults, become casualties along life’s journey.
Just like those young women working at Red Neck Heaven, ambushed, lined up like lemmings, and targeted for destruction by the enemy of God. During the weeks since our unplanned visit there, I’ve found numerous establishments throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth area just like RNH. And, if those places are here, you can bet they’re in your town or city also.
Why should we be concerned? Let’s just sing louder ‘til Jesus comes. Whatever will be, will be? Nonsense. That’s how we got here. Maybe a few facts will shine the light of reality and sound the alarm. If you don’t believe me, check with your local Christian pregnancy center.
Our county in Texas, holds the dubious honor of having the highest per capita rate of teen pregnancies, STD’s, and abortions in the State of Texas. If you don’t understand about STD’s ask your doctor. This is a crisis among our school children. Yes, even at the elementary level.
It’s long past time to sound the alarm. We can no longer hide within the sanctuary, pretending we don’t see that our children and grandchildren have lost the way they should live.
Mom, Dad, you are their parent—not their buddy. He only gave them one mom and one dad. And it’s your job to train them in the way God says they are to go. If you don’t have the courage to stand for Christ with your teen now, how will you have the strength to stand for Him during the truly difficult times and events that are to come?
Next week: WHEN THEY ARE OLD
useful ! great post! thanks for sharing your view on the topic!http://www.maladiretasegmentada.com.br
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Elisah, thanks for reading and responding to my blog.
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This is a good wake-up call. I pray everyone reads this and takes it to heart. Keep shouting to the rooftops.
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Emmal, thank you so much for your encouragement. God instructs the older women to teach the younger women, unfortunately many of them do not have a teachable spirit. But, we must be diligent to speak the truth of the Word as long as God gives us breath. Wait ’til you see next week’s blog that is the last in this series about Red Neck Heaven.
DiAne
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