Beyond Common Sense

WARNING: parental meddling ahead!

I see so many problems in today’s “gentle parenting,” but diversion may be one of the most insidious. There’s nothing new under the sun. Solomon assures us of that fact in Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NKJV): “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” If anyone should know, it was Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. And despite his sad ending, his station in life allowed him to experiment endlessly to find answers to difficult questions.

Here’s the scenario. Children are sitting at a table and start coloring on the table instead of their coloring books. It’s not a horrible thing except that Mom has told them not to do it countless times. There is no correction. Instead, the children are diverted to another activity. The “coloring on the table” problem is solved but the disobedient heart of the child is not.

Are we teaching obedience or are we allowing children to choose their own way? Will a child really learn that it isn’t right to color on a table if we keep diverting their activities and allowing someone else to clean up the mess?

Sadly, it isn’t only children that have this problem. As adults, we may not feel like doing the hard thing, so we turn to another more enjoyable task, and sometimes even justify it as ministry!

It’s difficult to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). It’s hard work! It takes consistency, determination, effort, pain, agony…need I go on? But to quote from the old introduction to “The Wide World of Sports,”

“Oh, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!”

We have just come through the Olympics—what amazing talent! Certainly, anyone who even makes it to the Olympics knows it takes consistency, determination, effort, pain, and agony. Why do they do it? I don’t believe anyone gets to the Olympics just because she wants a chunk of gold on a string. I’m sure some are trying to prove something. Some are striving to be the best in their class. It might not sound like a great accomplishment to be the best badminton player in the world, but if you watched any of those competitions, you can’t help but admire their efforts.

The thrill of victory: seeing your child as a young adult who is a respectful, hardworking citizen? Yes, but there’s more for the born-again believer! 3 John 1:4 says it so well: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” And as a grandmother, may I tell you that the joy is overwhelmingly multiplied when I watch my children train my grandchildren to walk in the truth.

Diversion may seem like a little thing, but it truly is one of “the little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes” (Song of Songs 2:15). When it comes to parenting, go for gold and go to the Bible for your instruction!