Parents are responsible

Did you see the video of the young children in their diapers and underwear who were cussing out the police officers? My heart breaks to think of how this must make our police officers feel. This is learned behavior to disrespect authority.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it." Skeptics believe that our Christian faith is nothing more than socialization, and they deny the truth behind our religious convictions. However, a faulty belief system results in the kind of behavior exhibited by these small children. Parents are responsible for how they have trained these little ones. It is easy to predict that, apart from the grace of God, they will grow up to be criminals.

You have heard the expression, "Spare the rod, spoil the child." This, too, comes from the Bible. I have left the physical discipline to my wife, and as my daughter grew older spanking has transitioned to groundings as a means of punishment. I have become aware of violent parents who injure and sometimes kill their children by shaking, hitting or other means of aggressive punishment. Not everyone should practice physical discipline, but every parent has a responsibility to "train up" their children.

The Hebrew word we translate, "train," can also be translated, "dedicate." If you were to dedicate a temple, you would narrow the scope of its usage for religious purposes. In this sense, to dedicate a child would be to direct the child. Educators speak of redirecting a child's behavior to something positive away from something negative. We are to give instruction to our sons and daughters and guide them on the right path. Some parents have difficulty saying, "no" to their children. Others threaten punishments they never deliver.

The church is a wonderful place to help families with the training or directing of their children. This month, our Cape Girardeau Baptist Association is having camps for boys and girls at Peaceful Valley Camp. Children will be required to abandon their cellphones and focus on fun activities, devotional lessons and worship services. My mother's life was changed at a church camp -- she became a follower of Jesus. I am so thankful that Christians came alongside my grandparents to influence my mother to trust the Lord.

Too many parents are not involved in their children's lives. Schoolteachers see the results of young students who are not guided to a healthy diet, a regular bedtime or even taught to respect authority. Many of these children grow up blaming others for their lack of success.

Negligent parents may not realize their children are being groomed by activists. It is our responsibility as parents to know what our children are watching on television, viewing on the internet and being taught in school. We must not leave the responsibility of Proverbs 22:6 to others who do not share our values.

We must teach our sons and daughters that it is God who knits the unborn child in his or her mother's womb. It is God who makes one male or female. Children need to know that their parents will love them and protect them from evil.

We all must become as little children the enter the kingdom of heaven, according to Jesus (Matthew 18:3). As we humble ourselves, we must agree to receive correction from God. If we are not disciplined when we sin, it is because we are not children of God (Hebrews 12:8).

According to John 1:12, "But to all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." As God's children, we are dedicated to living our lives for the glory of God. As godly parents, we are to take responsibility for our children's behavior -- put some clothes on them and teach them to have manners.