Chapter Fifteen I n a decadent and immoral society in which we are living there is a vital need for parents to guide their children in upright character. Are we teaching them to be honest? Are we giving them any cultural values? Are they learning orderliness and refine ment? They need to be taught how to be grateful and thankful. They should know how to recognize authority and submit to it. They need to know ethical as well as eternal values. They need to learn to be free from race prejudices, one of the real blights in our world today. These are just a few of the vital things a child is supposed to learn at the feet of his father and mother: 'char acter values and eternal values. Basically, the reason the Lord gave children parents is so that the child may have an understanding of the grace of our Lord and come to know our Saviour as a born-again soul in Jesus Christ. This, of course, involves many things. Are we instructing our children in the Scriptures? You as a father and mother are failing your selves, and God more importantly, un less you take the responsibility. You must first know the experience of His grace. You must know how to pray, how to gain truths out of the Bible and then pass them along to your child. We are grateful for all of the Sunday schools teaching our children basic principles of the holy faith. But they can only do this a few minutes a week. Day after day there should be prayer and a study of the Bible with the children. This need not, and for spiritual profit cannot, be “above their heads.” This is a part of the fam ily altar. Many times children grow up to be ignorant of the priceless gifts contained in the Word of God. If you have never done this decide now, by the grace of God, that you will. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and guidance. He will; He has promised to do so. 21
Pictured above are some of the many stu dents attending Biola from American Sun day School Union Churches. He had been going to the library and getting books to read. The teacher wouldn’t let him take the work books home. She said he would have to do them in school. He was kept out of recess; he couldn’t go to visual aid, and generally he quite naturally reacted in a very bad way. The teacher said, .“You’re the dumbest child I’ve ever had.” We didn’t understand how deep seated this problem really was. I dis covered that our child had a very serious mental block. I told my dear wife it would take care, love and much concern. It takes much patience, love and understanding to find a balance between pressure which overcomes hin drances and pressure which makes for. frustration. We didn’t have a TV in our home for a good many years, not because we couldn’t have, but because of the problems involved. It is much easier to say “No” once for all, than it is to say “No” for five children all evening long. Some of the discipline problems en countered with our children are the result of the lack of achievement. This is why we need to spend time helping our children. If you cannot teach your child without becoming impatient, then you ask the Lord to give you grace and make you kind and loving taking the time to do it. There are children who get mental blocks in early school years which run all through their life, blighting their personality. You are responsible for the instruction of your children in all areas of life. I think this is what Scrip ture means when we read, train them up in all things and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
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