One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a parent is watching your offspring become competent and capable parents. When the love you showered on your little ones has a place in the legacy of your life, being able to watch that love be passed down through the generations is a blessing beyond measure.
Raising children in today's world of evil over good is a daunting task. Society has given adults free reign of expression through social media and now parents are passing this legacy of "nothing held back" philosophy onto their children. Children naturally seek guidance from their parents because they don't know what they don't know. When parents refuse to "parent" and teach their children the differences between right and wrong and good vs evil, the results of a lack of guidance creates confusion, fear, and a sense of detachment from reality. Everything becomes subjective to the child who is forced to become both student and teacher simultaneously.
Recently I heard a radio preacher discussing how children are being raised in such polar atmospheres across the nation. Below is a list of the contrasts he proposes (Italics mine):
Thermostat versus Thermometer - Those who change the environment; those who report on it.
Transformers versus Conformers - Those who manifest change; those who compliantly fallow.
Not of this World VS In the world - Stand Out; Stand In.
Out of the Box VS In the box - Original; Traditional
Christian Viewpoint VS Worldly Viewpoint - With God; Without God
Rule Followers VS Rule Breakers - Legal; Illegal
Renewed Thinking Vs Static Thinking - Fresh; Stale
Givers VS Takers - Generous; Selfish
Lovers Vs Haters - Other focused; Me focused
Often I hear people blaming God and ask, "If God is Good, how can such vast difference between innocence and evil exist in this world?" But, to children their parents are god. Parents must take an active role in teaching their children the principles of good versus evil and this works best when you have a standard of measure, which the Bible offers. Society has no such standard anymore. Laws are broken by the lawmakers and a riot mentality trumps civility and order. Parents are the ones who will define their children's success or set their feet on the path of destruction. Parents MUST know the difference between right and wrong themselves and LIVE IT, because you cannot raise healthy children in an unhealthy environment. Aim high in your parenting efforts and your children will land elevated. Aim low or don't aim at all...and who knows where they will land, but it won't be elevated any higher than the level you live. For certain it will be lower. You will be determining for your children the degree of difficulty to their becoming winners or losers in the game of life. If they do not have the internal fortitude to overcome their circumstantial beginnings, they will repeat your bad teachings to their children, and their grandchildren, for generations to come.
If you wish you could change your childhood, start by changing your child's childhood. They will be better for it, and you will have changed the trajectory of future generations to come. If you do, looking back at the legacy you built forward might result in you watching your children's children be winners - and that will be nothing short of watching the unveiling of a miracle.