Child Proof

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:16)

 

Maybe it is just me, but have you noticed how incredibly hard it is anymore to actually open a package of something you just bought at the store? It probably is me. I have “girly hands”. Most of the other dudes of my species have actually worked with their hands at some point in their lives and toughened them up, but I never have. Ask my mom. Even when I was a boy, I could not seem to open a door. I just couldn’t squeeze the knob tight enough to turn it. Then I played sports and took a bunch of baseballs and basketballs off the ends of my fingers and messed them up even more. Then in my ripe old age, a little arthritis sets in, and I can’t grip anything. But I will bet that even the hardiest “manly-man” out there is noticing the trend. These packaging engineers are getting weirder by the day. I think they have secret conventions and competitions to see who can come up with the most impossible package to open. I can’t open a bag of chips without scissors. And forget about these new clear plastic containers with the rolled edges. It takes a degree from MIT and the Incredible Hulk to open one of those beasts.

 

One of the reasons for that is because of the perceived need to “child proof” everything. We have become so paranoid in our society that we have to protect everyone from every possible danger, and in the process, we have made life more difficult for all of us. No child can go outside and play anymore without being sheltered by 400 feet of bubble wrap, which of course comes in a package that cannot be opened because the child might damage his poor little sensitive ears by popping some of it. Obviously, we need to protect our children from needless harm. Accident prevention is a good thing, but we have gone way too far.

 

Bring this into the spiritual realm for a minute. Over the last couple of generations, our society has become obsessed with “protecting” children from God. We cannot pray in school anymore (and look at the results of that “wise” decision). Many parents have adopted the attitude that they are not going to expose their children to their faith, but “let them discover for themselves and make up their own minds”. God knew better than that. That is why he told us to teach our children his word. The famous passage in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Psalm 78 speaks of at least six generations where the word of God is passed on. That would encompass just about everyone alive today. Virtually no one has seven generations living at the same time.

 

Proverbs 29:15 says, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” Those who “shelter” their children from God and his word are setting them up for a fall. Human nature is contrary to God from the fall of Adam. That is why God is adamant that we raise our children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

 

Packages may be hard to open, but our Bible should never be. We must create the culture and environment with our children that makes the word of God easily accessible to them. You can’t do that by making it impossible for them to open it. Revelation chapter 5 tells us the Lamb of God is worthy and able to open his word to us. But God will not open his word to us until we open it ourselves and put it in front of our eyes. All it takes is the child-like faith to believe that God’s word really does speak to our hearts and reveal to us the love of our Father in heaven. You can best protect your children from evil by not “protecting” them from the blessed book.