Settled In
So, do you shelter your kids? I try not to too much. I think we as Americans have a pretty skewed view of the world anyway, why pass it on to our kids? We are on the continual search for comfort and pleasure - and if I dare say, “niceness.” We want the world to be all nice and fair and happy sunshiney for our kids. Well guess what, it’s not. People can’t afford things, people cheat and get cheated, people get sick, houses burn down, families split up, people die, parents die … children die.
I guess that’s one of my big take aways from going to Guatemala. The kids there know that the world doesn’t revolve around them. (Now if I could just remember that myself sometime.) In our never ending search for comfort, we embrace this place that we are just passing though as an alien and stranger. The things of this world take priority over our Kingdom view and we settle in. (For a little spiritual unrest check out Jesus’ parable about the sower and the seeds. Are you one of those seeds that is being choked out by the weeds - the worries and desires of this world?)
Now the Stoics and the Puritans took this idea and distorted it into, “anything of this material world is inherently evil.” I’m not saying that at all, in fact, I think the more you realize that this place isn’t your home then the more you learn to enjoy the moment. You enjoy the temporary gift of life that God has given here on earth. Kind of like knowing that Camryn and Maegan won’t be little children for long, we have to enjoy these days for all they are worth - whether it’s a fun day at the park or inside, whining with a fever all day long.
So I will continue to enjoy a pint with my friends, laughing and stretching our intellects. I will look at the sunset with anticipation for heaven. I will cherish my wife and encourage her in her spiritual growth. I will teach the girls that this world and our comfort in it is not what it’s all about - hopefully by example.
October 26th, 2004 at 11:35 am
While I agree with the overall sentiment, I have a question and a comment…
Where do you get the idea that the Puritans had the view that ‚Äúanything of this material world is inherently evil‚Äù? What I know of Puritan history and theology seems to suggest just the opposite–that the world was God‚Äôs creation and to be redeemed for Him. Far from disengaging from the world, Puritans were fully engaged in the world‚Äîthe best educated, the best writers, best artists, etc.
In addition, while I would agree that proper parenting requires us to teach our children about he effects of the fall of man and sin in a robust way, this is not the same as exposing them to specifics that they are not equipped to process. So, children should be taught that sickness and death are a result of our sin and that their own desire to do what is wrong is because they are sinful by nature (because of the fall). However, the barrage of graphic descriptions and images of carnage from around the world packed as much as a form of morbid entertainment as it is news on the likes of CNN, Fox News, and the rest is not appropriate for young children. We have as much of a duty to insulate our children from influences that are not meant for children as we do to teach them about the truth of sin.
October 26th, 2004 at 12:18 pm
Sorry, uneducated assumption of mine regarding the Puritans.
Okay, okay, we don’t let Camryn watch CNN - but I do think that kids are equipped to handle more than we give them credit for. I would rather be the one to help them process the things that slip through the filter - like the evening news or an intriguing story on Oprah - than leave it completely up to them.
How many people went into shock - or at least wenced, when the Barracuda ate Nemo’s mom in front of their child? It’s not about the child, it’s about being asked what happened to Nemo’s mom and most parents don’t want to have to deal with it cause it’s not all nice and pretty.
October 26th, 2004 at 12:42 pm
I agree that children should be taught about the realities of evil in the world. What makes the classic children’s stories so great is that they portray evil as it really is in the world. The evil queen in Snow White, the wicked step family in Cinderella, the evil woman in Hansel and Gretel, the list goes on and on. The wonderful thing about these stories is that they resonate with what they know intuitively to be true—that this world is not the way it ought to be. Evil and sin mar the perfection that God created. Of course they also tend to have themes of redemption that often illustrate God’s grace… but that’s a whole ‘nother topic.