Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: ROAD (05/19/22)
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TITLE: Then and Now | Previous Challenge Entry
By Stephen Kimball
05/26/22 -
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I grew up in an era very unlike today. My parents gave me freedom to roam and, in hindsight, freedom to fall on my face — in more ways than one. As I reflect on my childhood; I would say that faith was the guiding principle in how they raised their kids. They recognized that in their humanity, with all their faults and worldly distractions, they needed God and trusted Him to help guide and protect the family. That’s not to say my parents were absent or unconcerned, but that ultimately God was in control.
Today it is fear, not faith, that seems to be the controlling factor in parenting. Fear being that foremost thought that keeps the kids attached, on a very short rope, because if they are not, they would certainly be abducted by a pedophile or flattened by a car driven by some out-of-control meth-head. Or worse yet, become one of those meth-heads! NO…NO…NO! If one were to be so irresponsible to let their most vulnerable possession out of their sight, they would surely come to a tragic and untimely demise. Therefore, the children must be watched at all times and protected at all costs.
Tragic incidents and accidents, bad influences, and poor choices have always been a part of our lives, but only recently has it come to the point where fear of these things stops most of us from letting the kids grow up and grow out with any semblance of the freedom and independence many of us enjoyed as kids.
Freedom is a double-edged sword, no doubt. It allows for both responsibility and mistakes, for triumphs on the one hand, and heartache and regret on the other. For me, yielding to my children’s yearnings for freedom is difficult because I know what it can lead to. I know because I hear of it constantly in the news, and I know it firsthand because I was the kid who enjoyed much freedom, and every now and then anyway, it led me down some roads I should never have traveled on.
So, how much freedom to give?
I realize there can be no standard or “right” answer to that question — it will be different for each child. But like my parents, I recognize that I do not need to be everywhere and know everything, that I have limits and weaknesses, and can trust God to make up for them. So, I pray for wisdom, balancing both caution and faith, knowing there will be bitter pills to swallow along the way. I pray God will use these things, as he did with me, to move my children toward him, down the right path towards heart transformation, so that in the end they will enjoy true freedom in Him and that He may be glorified through it all.
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I too have no judgement -just musing that from my experience, whenever I called upon the Lord, He heard. Whenever I followed the Word in Scripture, and as you say, trusted Him - Wisdom came. Not always when I'd like it - immediately- although sometimes Wisdom came early :), but it was never too late.
How I yearned, as I slowly read your fascinating entry, lest I finish too quickly and, indeed, it happened! How I wished you shared more about what I, clearly relate to. My childhood my children's childhood! Well-done! Congratulations!