very little outward expression. Par ents unfortunately will sometimes seek to impose upon a child a kind of perfectionist complex. Boys and girls are not mature adults nor are they great spiritual giants. There is a great deal of difference between innocence and spiritual maturity. As an example, a small boy is in nocent to the problems of sex be cause he has never gone through the stages of maturity. Some of the characteristics of little children should be emulated in humility by many of us. When we try to impose upon a child the maturity of an adult in some of these areas, we may be asking him to do something which his heart is not in. When he gets older he will frequently say his experience was not real and he will rebel. It can be dangerous to cause pres sures and tensions in these early years. This is true when parents put undo emphasis upon grades and force the youth to a place where he mentally breaks. Unfortunately, this happens all the time. Too much of it is merely for the satisfaction and prestige of the parent. Do not try to make your child perfect. You are not. Put before them their only perfect example, the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to seek wisdom and guidance from Him. Above all, let them know the reality of your concern and deep abiding love. Give them the sense of security which they must have. In the case of our letter writer, this strain probably is the mother's fault. The child did not put the barrier there. A woman told me, “ You know, I do not have very much relationship with my son. He looks like the man who left me. He has a gruff voice like his father
Radio listeners have submitted some very interesting questions. We are not always able to answer them over the air, however, due to the personal nature of the inquiry. To do so adequately would require many more facts and information before practical counsel could be rendered. One mother writes, “We have several children in our home, ages, seven, six, five, and one. My hus band and I have been born again for several years. The six and five- year-olds, as far as I can tell, are also saved. Our seven-year-old girl, however, does not seem to have any relationship with the Lord. She will brag about knowing all the Christian songs, and says she asked Jesus into her heart two years ago, but is not visibly interested in Him. Frankly, I have not had a good re lationship with her since she was a baby. There seems to be a strain between us. I pray every day that I will love her more, but it is so hard. She is so deceiving and sel fish. When I try to be loving and show interest in her, she rejects it. What can I do?" Parents need to be careful in imposing upon little children a ma ture love for Jesus Christ. Youthful emotions will vacilate. They will enjoy mud pies now and in a mo ment later want a sandwich. Be cause a youngster does not always show a continuing interest in the things of Christ does not mean that he is necessarily disinterested. There are many things about them that captivate their fancy. In the case of a happily married couple sometimes there is great exuber ance of joy while at other times they will quietly accept one anoth er, going about their work, with
Page 50
Made with FlippingBook Online document