“Oh be careful little eyes what you see…” There are certainly some things that a child should not see.
One of the things every wise parent concerns themselves with is what goes through the window to their child’s heart and mind – their eyes. But what if parents overly concern themselves with external influences while sometimes failing to protect their children from personal influences that hit even closer to home?
I never cease to amazed by the resilience of children to live in undesirable and sometimes unacceptable environments and yet still be so strong and flexible to their surroundings. Thankfully, God created children with an amazingly resilient life lens despite what is sometimes thrown at them.
However, there are things that a child should not see in our homes, but that can all too often be very well seen if we are not careful. Here are 3 things a child cannot unsee in your home:
1. A RAGING PARENT
Among the Covid-19 realities affecting families’ health and finances, it is affecting the emotional well-being of many as well. Depression, anxiety, and divorce rates are on the rise, not to mention more practical struggles like family frustration, anger, and selfishness. It’s easy for everyone to be on edge.
Parents, let me encourage you to keep your guard up. Especially in these times, we must protect our spirit in order to protect our kids.
God has some harsh warnings to parents (and especially fathers) concerning the dangers of wrath in the home.
Eph. 6:4 Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath…
Col. 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
“Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I need it the most.”
2. A DISRESPECTFUL SPOUSE
Nothing can tear down a home more than one spouse who disrespects the other in the presence of their children. The results of these seeds planted may not bear visible fruit for years to come.
Matthew 12:25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
Luke 17:11 A house divided… falleth.
Wise parents will identify areas where they need to get on the same page and take necessary steps to get there. Because a disrespectful spouse is something a child should never see.
3. A HYPOCRITICAL CHRISTIAN
Our faith, in order to be effective, must be central to our life. And no one knows the genuineness of our faith (or lack thereof) better than our children. We may fool people on a Sunday, but it’s impossible to fake something that isn’t real Monday through Saturday. It’s a sobering thought that our children know whether or not our faith is real, and when it’s not, we run the high risk of producing 2nd generation hypocrites.
“One of the best gifts you can ever give to your family is a parent who is the same in public as they are in private.”
Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Now… let’s be honest here. Every one of us as parents are guilty at times of failing in all three of these areas. We are faulty at best. We are in need of grace. And what better way to show grace to our children than to have experienced it firsthand ourselves?
I hope that this post will encourage you, not discourage you. However, if you need some extra encouragement today, check out these important reminders:
Parents, with God’s help, let’s make these three things more unseen in our homes than ever before!
