We live in perilous times. There is so much wickedness in the world and even children are not spared. Child kidnapping, child trafficking, child abuse, child malnutrition, child abandonment are some of the evils being done to the child today. As we watch the news, we weep, we cry out in consternation, and then we wonder, "How can we protect kids from such evils?" Nothing is more terrifying than the realization that we cannot protect them from life.
“Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." (Matt. 19:14)
The plight of the child must become a preoccupation of the church. The church must take the lead in advocating the course of children in the society. Unlike the disciples of Jesus who thought children were not important and shooed them away, we must, #love them, embrace them, give them the utmost attention and nurture them for a solid future.
Children are our future. Without children, humanity will go into oblivion. While we cannot hide our children away from the world, we can be proactive in guarding them lovingly. We can shield them in far greater ways, as God has given us the opportunity as ones who play oversight roles over them.
First, we must acknowledge that as parents and guardians, it is our most sacred obligation to introduce our children to Christ right from infancy. Jesus said to His disciples, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” We hinder children from coming to Jesus when we think they are too small to be introduced to Him. Paul spoke of Timothy, who from infancy have known the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim 3:15). Lois Timothy’s grandmother was said to have given the young lad a foundation in faith. No wonder he turned out to be a great kid. If we are going to be part of raising a greater generation, we must never overlook the imperative of introducing children to Christ.
Second, we have a duty to nurture them. Nurturing has to do with influence. Because of the impressionable nature of kids they need to be exposed to the right kind of influence. We are positioned to be models of positive influence to our children or younger ones. Unfortunately today children are abandoned to damaging influences, because many of us don’t just care. We are too engrossed in ourselves, minding our own thing. No time for the kids. “They are a nuisance.” That was what the disciples thought; “Jesus wouldn’t have the time for them. He’s got more important things to do than to cater to children affairs.” How wrong they were. Jesus was cross with them and they got a tutorial of their life on how significant the kids were to the Master: “for the kingdom of God belong to such as these”. The nurture of the children is at the center of God’s heart. It is vital to His kingdom. Nurturing requires that we create quality time with them, be more attentive to them, be deliberate, and be strategic in nurturing them.
It is important we groom our wards around strong values of devotion to God, commitment to family, the pride of integrity and hard work, regard for fellow human beings, sense of responsibility and self-application as they discover and deploy their innate faculties. We must teach children to seize their future by taking responsibility for their actions. We must help them appreciate how the choices they make now affect their future. We must discourage the tendency for immediate gratification and help to pattern their lives in investing in their future. To do this, they must carve a life mission for themselves, cultivate principles that align with such life mission and goad them to discover their potential and uniqueness and build relationships as well as maximize opportunities that will help them attain their desired future.
There’s no mathematical formula for safeguarding our children from the social ills that put them at risk. However, the idea is not to get jittery, just like many who become overprotective of their children out of fear or anxiety. In bringing up children, we must learn to be totally dependent on the grace of God. God wants us to be childlike, but not childish, in trusting Him to guide us in the path of nurturing our children aright.
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