“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Phil and I have always enjoyed watching wildlife and nature documentaries with our children. When they were small, we wore out Marty Stouffer’s “Wild America” DVD set and did the same with Planet Earth several years later. Even today, we enjoy the new Planet Earth II when there’s not a basketball game competing for the same time slot.
Wildlife is beautiful and brutal. One of the hardest things to watch is the death of one animal for the livelihood of another – especially when it’s a baby. But, that’s the reality of the food chain. The most vulnerable and easiest to take down are the young. All the hunter needs to do is separate the off-spring from the protection of the parent, and then it’s pretty much over.
It’s a simple plan that requires just a little effort by a lone hunter or team work by a pack. An event for which every parent in the animal kingdom should be prepared – especially those at the top of the food chain.
In his book entitled, “Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions,” George Barna presents startling statistics about the young:
• by age 2, all facets of a child’s moral and spiritual development begin
• by age 9, moral and spiritual foundations are set in place
• by age 13, the moral and spiritual beliefs by which all thoughts are processed and decisions are made are determined, resulting in a worldview that will change very little with time.
In addition, data showed there are 3 tiers of influence in a young person’s life. Parents and all types of media and entertainment are primary influences. Friends, siblings, teachers and schools fall in the second category of influence. Churches and faith groups fall in the lower tier - noting that as children get older, they become more and more distracted and vulnerable to nonfamily influences.
Yet, Barna found that most American children develop their worldview by default - meaning there is little intention in the way parents train their children to think and process information. Instead, they allow their children to be influenced by the world and depend on the church for spiritual training.
Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?
Like it or not, today’s culture (and the cunning darkness within it) will swallow a young child whole if we, as parents and guardians, are not intentional in protecting and leading him or her in ways that are consistent with God’s truths, principles, and desires for His creation.
Children are the battlefront. Their hearts and minds are open territory where thought patterns begin and behaviors are born. They are society’s most valuable investment and Heaven’s most important work whether they belong to us or not.