"I just want what is best ... "

You may not agree with me or my views in this post. This is just something that has been on my mind lately. Facebook friends, you may have already read this!

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I do not know any parents who do not strive daily to make sure they do what is best for their children. As soon as Carl and I learned that I was pregnant, we began immediately doing what was best for Benjamin (even as we did not know he was Benjamin yet!). I took prenatal pills, got my rest, ate healthier, got more exercise, and refrained from harmful medications and the like. When Benjamin was born, we made it a high priority to make sure we made the best choices for Benjamin since he could not make choices himself. We choose healthy foods for him to eat, safe toys for him to play with. We put baby gates up to keep him from playing with dangerous electronics and from climbing the stairs, and we put covers on our unused electrical outlets. We chose to use cloth diapers and hypoallergenic baby wash because of his sensitive, rash prone skin.

While all of this is good, while all of this remains a priority for us in the way we raise Benjamin, none of this even comes cloes to the importance of the decisions we have made concerning Benjamin's spiritual upbringing.

It baffles me how some parents say they are so concerned with doing what is best for their child or children, and yet they forget completely the most important thing they could ever do for their child. That is - teaching them about God and His Son and His Church and His creation! How to be a faithful Christian and how to love our neighbors and our spouses and our family and friends and enemies. Most importantly, how to resist the devil so that he will flee from them (James 4:7), and how to gain eternal life with our Father in Heaven. Parents who know better, who know what's right, and yet they concentrate on the earthly vessel that will one day be nothing but dust in the ground.

You can feed your children organic foods, healthy foods. You can make sure they never eat a bite of fast food, never eat a piece of junk food, never take in too much fat or sugar or salt - but are you feeding your children the bread of life (John 6:35)?

You can provide every safe toy to fill your child's heart with joy. But are you teaching your children about the abounding joys and blessings found in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3)?

You can teach your children that touching the hot stove is dangerous. You can teach your children that they could get hurt or killed if they played in the street. You can keep your babies from danger using baby gates and socket covers. But are you armoring your children with the armor of God against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:4)?

If you're not, can you honestly say that you are doing the best for your children in the long run?

If you're not taking your children to Bible Class and Worship on Sundays and Wednesdays and whenever else the Saints meet, but instead taking your children out to the park or over to Grandma and Grandpa's house, or to the store or just staying at home to play and relax - can you honestly say you are doing what is best for your child, spiritually?

Parents are commanded in the Bible to teach their children. Are you willing to risk your soul, along with your child's?

Is that really what is best?

Just something to think about...

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." - III John 4


Benjamin all ready to go to Bible Study at 9 days old.