Failing our children

I was reading an article a few years ago, and it was talking about how many young parents in Japan struggle to teach their children morals. 

The reason?  They themselves have no strong convictions of right and wrong. 

And of course, if you don’t have any strong sense of morals, it’s kind of hard to pass it on to your children.

As a result, we’re seeing a lot more behavior problems among children here in school. 

“Classroom chaos” became a catch phrase about ten years ago and things haven’t improved much since.

The Israelites experienced chaos on a national level.  A people that had started out worshiping God and doing things his way, started following other gods.  Moral deterioration soon followed that. 

Why?  Because the parents failed their children. 

How?

After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)

In other words, despite God’s command to the Israelites to teach their children about him, and all that he had done for the Israelites, the Israelite parents neglected this duty.

As a result, the children grew up neither knowing God, nor what he had done for Israel.  And because of that, everything fell to pieces.

What about us?  Are we teaching our children about God?  Are we telling them what he’s done in our lives?  Are we teaching them his ways? 

Or are we just taking them to Sunday school and leaving that to the Sunday school teachers.

We can’t do that.  Sunday school teachers have our kids once a week.  We are with them every day. 

And while I’m sure God is pleased when our Sunday school teachers share about him with our children, it is us that he has specifically commanded to teach our children. 

He said,

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  (Deuteronomy 11:18-19)

If our children grow up not knowing who God is, it’s not the fault of our church’s Sunday school teachers.  It’s ours.

It is we who should be telling them who God is.  It is we who should be teaching our children how to have a relationship with him.  And it is we who should be examples of what a Christian is.

The Sunday school teachers should supplement what we do as parents.  They shouldn’t be doing our jobs for us.

Our children still have to make their own choices.  We may do our duty and teach them, and they may still walk away from God.  We can’t control that.  But if we fail our children and don’t teach them, God will hold us responsible.

Some of you might say, “But I don’t know my Bible so well.  I don’t even know God so well.  I’m not qualified.  Isn’t the Sunday school teacher better qualified to teach them?”

That may be true, but it’s no excuse.  You should be teaching them what you do know.  And you should be growing in your faith and in your knowledge of God every day so that you can pass these things on to your children.

How about you?  Are you obeying God and teaching your children about him?  Or are you simply hoping that they somehow learn enough about him from Sunday school?

Don’t fail your children as the Israelites failed theirs.  Teach your children, so that they may know God as you do.