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Raising Good Kids in an Evil World: Part 3–They’re Coming

Raising Good Kids in an Evil World: Part 3–They’re Coming

Last updated on: October 25, 2023 at 3:08 pm by M. Scott Coffman

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Raising Good Kids in an Evil World: Part 3–They’re Coming 2023-10-25T15:08:42-05:00 M. Scott Coffman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I miss the good old days when ‟they´re coming for your children” was a paranoid delusion or a conspiracy theory.

Today, in broad daylight, sexual deviants spend an entire month having parades where they chant, ‟We´re coming for your children.”

And our government encourages it, even to the point of flying their flag from the White House. Or passing sanctuary laws where minors can be transported across state lines for forced sexual mutilation. Or letting transvestites into elementary schools to do lap dances on frightened kids whilst infiltrating their book fairs with gay porn.

But don´t you dare try to pass your faith and traditions down to your own children. Because that would be (gasp) INDOCTRINATION!

I fear there is no hope for a world that has gone this insane this quickly. It seems like there’s no one left in charge that falls on the side of truth and reason. Nevertheless…

We must endure.

As righteous as our anger may be toward our antagonists, we must remember these things:

In our anger, we must not sin, thereby giving the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
Vengeance is the Lord’s not ours, so leave room for God to do His work. (Romans 12:19)
We do have a real enemy, but it is not a human enemy (2 Thessalonians 3:15, 1 Peter 5:8)

Our job is to spread the Gospel. We can’t praise the name of Jesus and sully it at the same time. If we take our eyes off Jesus and start worrying about what other people are doing, then we lose sight of our mission. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his book, Strength to Love:

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence, you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence, you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Our job is to bring the light of Jesus to a darkened world that does not know it is in darkness.

We shouldn’t be surprised…

…when we encounter opposition to the Truth. This has been going on since day one. Jesus was crucified, the apostles were persecuted and martyred, and on and on through the centuries. There may soon come a day when preaching the word of God becomes illegal in this country, as it is in many communist and Muslim countries.

But here’s the thing. Even if they’re coming to put us in prison, God’s word can not be bound. As Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy:

Remember always, as the centre of everything, Jesus Christ, a man of human ancestry, yet raised by God from the dead according to my Gospel. For preaching this I am having to endure being chained in prison as if I were some sort of a criminal. But they cannot chain the Word of God, and I can endure all these things for the sake of those whom God is calling, so that they too may receive the salvation of Jesus Christ, and its complement of glory after the world of time. 2 Timothy 2: 8-10 PHILLIPS

We are called to persevere under trial and not to give up. Even if we get tired and weak, God won’t. So, if we trust Him to carry us when we can’t go on, He will be faithful to do it.

We must stand firm, not only for our children’s sake, but also for our own. Will you join me in praying for our youth today to be Truthseekers and not herd followers?

Stormtrooper pointing to sign that says 2+2=5 while holding a gun on someone kneeling with his hands tied behind his back who is saying, "4." The word "Integrity" underneath.

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows.” –George Orwell (Public Domain/hotcore)

Integrity

I am hurt and lonely. Turn to me, and show me mercy. Free me from my troubles. Help me solve my problems. Look at my trials and troubles. Forgive me for all the sins I have done. Look at all the enemies I have. They hate me and want to hurt me. Protect me! Save me from them! I come to you for protection, so don’t let me be disappointed. You are good and do what is right. I trust you to protect me. (Psalm 25:16-21 ERV)

The words of King David ring true for many today, especially teenagers. It is so easy to feel isolated and alone at that age. In many cases, these kids actually ARE isolated and alone. Sometimes it’s in their own heads, and sometimes it’s external, because of normal social inclusion/exclusion rites, or worse, as a product of bullying. (Of course, the COVID lockdowns didn´t do anything to help this situation.)

I notice this especially with girls. Gossip and rumor-mongering are bad enough, but today’s technological advances have made hateful talk accelerate to light speed. Couple that with this generation’s reliance upon/addiction to their mobile devices and it becomes nearly impossible to get a positive thought in edgewise between all the notifications.

So, what’s a parent to do?

It all starts with integrity. Integrity and uprightness, or honesty, is all we have left when we lose everything else. This is true for adults as well as teens. If we lose everything–our jobs, our loved ones, our material possessions–then what remains?

Our character.

Who we really are behind all the masks, the social constructs, the rumors, and the legends.

Who are we really? If you lost everything except your life today, what would you have left to rebuild your life upon?

If you are a person of integrity, that is, you say what you mean, mean what you say, do what you say you are going to do and finish what you start, then you have all you need. Because you are a person that others can trust and rely upon, then trusting people will do you that courtesy. If these are the kind of kids we want to have, then these are the kind of parents we need to be.

Therefore, our primary goal is to be the kind of parents whose children look to us as David looked to God in the above passage. Obviously, we are not perfect like God, but He created us in His image, which means that we have aspects of His character woven into our DNA.

My kids and I at The Spaghetti Factory, St. Louis, MO.

When my children are up against it, I want them to know that they can look to me for help. I want them to know that I will forgive their mistakes and give them room to grow. They need to know that they have somewhere to turn when it seems like the world is crashing down on them.

I don’t ever want to let them down. I want them to trust me to take care of them, even when they are older and don’t really need me to do that anymore (which has actually been the case for a while).

But the only way I can be that kind of a father is to remember that I have a Father who does all these things for me. And so do my kids. So, it’s not really me I want them to trust, but God. His integrity is flawless and will go on forever.

If I can point my kids to that, directly or through my own rudimentary example, then I will be giving them what they need to survive and overcome whatever “they” are coming to do.

(What an excellent segue to the next series on overcoming the world. Make sure to click on the Free Newsletter link so you don´t miss it!)

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October 18, 2023

Raising Good Kids in an Evil World: Part 2--How Words Matter