FAMILY AND PARENTAL IMPACT (2)

“You shall TEACH them diligently to your CHILDREN, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house” – Deuteronomy 6:7a

Scriptures offer ample guidance and direction to enhance transgenerational FAMILY and PARENTAL IMPACT: “You shall TEACH them diligently to your CHILDREN, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deut.6:7). These scriptures describe the expected positive impact of parents on their children in the family setting, emphasizing the value of diligently teaching them God’s Words by every possible means.

Scriptures establish the reality of Parenting as a full-time, all-life ministry. The two pairs of opposites – sit or walk and lie down or rise – show that parents’ responsibilities towards their children, cover every time, place and activity (Deut.11: 18-20). Here the emphasis is on parents’ obligation to teach and instruct their children in God’s Words, ensuring that they are indelibly written on their hearts: “TRAIN up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pro.22:6).

Families are close to God’s heart, having originated from Him in the first place. At creation’s inception God said, “It is not good that man should be alone,” so He created woman as a “helper comparable to him” (Gen.2:18). God blessed and commanded them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over…” (Gen.1:28). Even after they fell into sin, God continued with His plan for families, speaking prophetically of the salvation that would come through the seed of the woman (Gen.3:15). After the Flood, He reiterated His plan to Noah and his sons, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen.9:1).

God sustained His plan when He chose Abraham and amazingly gave him a son in his old age (Gen. 21). This continued down the ages to the “fullness of the time” when He sent forth His Son to be born in human flesh, to live and to die for those He Himself had created (Gal.4:4). God’s Will has always been for parents to nurture their children to know and love Him and walk in His ways. Many modern families are in dire waters because they have left the responsibility of “diligently teaching” their children to the schools, social media, entertainers, peers, and others to fill the gaping gap! There is no neutral ground!

The world is shoving its atheistic, evolutionary, humanistic, New Age, and anti-God teachings down the throats of untaught, defenseless children. No parent would just let children ‘discover for themselves’ the dangers of running into a busy street. They would teach, warn, and even discipline their children in order to protect them. In like manner, we must prepare children to face the challenges of the day by teaching the truth and exposing the lies of a society that has turned its back on God.