the great leaders of the Old Testa ment whose children did not turn out well because their fathers had not given them proper directions. Ministers and missionaries live at a very highly committed level of Christian living. They have turned everything they have and are over to the Lord. Many times they con sider their children to live with the same committed level of values, not realizing that they may not have reached that point of dedica tion. An excessive expectation to live a committed life will cause many children to rebel, trying to get away from this pressure which may be abnormal to them in earl ier years. Q. "In what sense should we con sider God as our Father? My own father was very mean and unfair. Sometimes I get this image of God when I think of Him in that rela tionship." A. The human father should be judged and evaluated on the basis of how he correlates to the model of God expressed in the Bible. We see God as perfect, loving us at all times. Scripture reminds us that even though your father and moth er may let you down, the Lord promises that He will never fail us. You need to take your eyes off of people and focus them on the Word and the revealed truth we find there. There is something for us to learn here, too. If our own parents did not live God-like lives, we can make certain we do before the Lord. This should be a vital point especially for young people. Do not just dwell on the past but take positive action for the future.
habits. Make television viewing actually an educational time. One made a little sign to put on top of the TV set. It simply reads, "Would Jesus Christ enjoy watching this program with me?" Such an atti tude of heart could revolutionize our viewing practices. Q. I have known several pastor's children who have turned out to be very rebellious. Why does this seem to happen so often to min isters?" A. We do not know of any studies that have been made indicating that this happens more to the chil dren of preachers than to others. A pastor and his family are in a prominent leadership position so that it becomes more pronounced when it happens. It is easy for a pastor to get wrapped up in his ministry so that he may have a tendency to neglect the proper guidance of his own family. Mem bers of the congregation should be concerned about this problem, making sure they do not unduly weigh him down. He needs to have sufficient time for his home life. Also, let us not put unrealistic ex pectations on the pastor's family. They should not be judged by a different standard. His children can have their times of disobedience just as your own do. Psychology reveals through re search that when boys are de prived of their fathers they have a strong tendency to become hos tile and aggressive. The dad has a vital role as sort of mediator for his son as to what is acceptable, aggressive behaviour and what is not. We want our children to strive to reach goals. Consider some of
Page 22
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker