Articles
Those Precious Babies
Life’s not just a “bowl of cherries”; neither is it a bowl of popcorn cradled on one’s lap in a Lazy Boy chair before a TV. Maybe it’s because I’m grandpa to 15 grandchildren, but to me life gets more serious day by day. Life is an awesome responsibility; its weight bears more heavily on my heart almost hourly. It’s increasingly more difficult to take calmly the death of one outside Christ, to observe in silence the misdirected lives of youth, and to relax amidst the innocent but frivolous activities of brethren who have only a trifling interest in spiritual matters.
This is especially true with the seemingly endless arrival of new babies. What mothers and fathers nestle in their arms is something more precious than gold, or fine homes, or jewelry, or automobiles. But do youthful parents sense the value of that commodity that rests in their hands? Probably not. I didn’t at that age. The hustle, the busyness, and the materialistic tug of life rob many parents of both the time and perspective to even think much about it.
Babies are not just intelligent puppies or kittens. They need more than a little food thrown in a bowl, an occasional change of garments, to be potty trained, or to be coddle once in a while. These activities are a part of parental responsibility. We recognize this. But parents, amidst ordinary life, must not forget the extraordinary: that God breathed into that child His own image (Genesis 1:26–27). Children are not just animals; they are inwardly endowed with the likeness of God. That spirit, as the body, must be nourished, clothed, trained, and coddled.
Fathers and mothers must think from day one about the eternal destiny of the precious ones God has given them (2 Timothy 3:15). Parents must accept immediately as their ultimate goal—not the cutest outfits displayed in the latest fashion magazine, not the most exotic toys devised by clever engineers, not the most ambitious goals set by a carnal world, but the growth and development of the child’s spirit. The child must from the start learn of faith in God, love of God, morality, hope, and character in the likeness of Jesus.
Several things are necessary to this development.
Parental Example
No one detects hypocrisy and spiritual inconsistency more readily than children. They almost instinctively sense the difference between real faith and mechanical service to God. They see deception and dishonesty beneath the subtlest garbs. And an atmosphere of love or hate, or indifference between parents or between parents and children is felt in a child’s sensitive soul. The quality of life parents exude is certainly absorbed into the porous spirits of their offspring in those tender years. How well most Bible students remember the partiality of Isaac and Rebekah reflected in the life of Jacob.
Parental Training
No one believes that mere parental example or taking children to Bible classes will complete the task of training children in the way they should go. The example of fathers and mothers and teaching in Bible classes are merely supplemental to the responsibility of nurturing children in the ways and will of the Lord. Yes, this takes time, but if parents have time to teach youngsters to “coo,” to “walk,” to “talk,” to “count,” to “read,” to “brush their teeth,” to “dress” themselves, to “throw a ball”—they have time to tell them Bible stories, train their minds in the way of the Lord, and inculcate daily sacred principles into their souls (Deuteronomy 6:1–9; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:1–4).
Spiritual Family
The training and discipline of the inward man in precious children must take note of the necessity of a spiritual family—the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. From a babe they must learn the sacred writings and the value of assembling with the saints (Hebrews 10:24–25; 2 Timothy 3:15). Fathers and mothers who think casually about the significance of these gatherings and their activities assure the indifference and death of their children’s souls. Children who grow up in families that assemble sporadically and only occasionally will likely attach little importance to the need of a spiritual family amidst an evil world and its corrupting influence. And youngsters who hear parents constantly and incessantly gripe and complain about the song leader, the elders, the preacher, the length of the services, etc., have little chance of loving the Lord and His body.
Yes, brethren, life is serious. And parenthood is a good example of how laden with responsibility it is. But nothing is as rewarding as looking back on the days of parenting and seeing children and grandchildren giving themselves to God.
