“DO YOU KNOW HOW OLD YOUR CHILDREN ARE?”

The Bible Class was shocked by the question.  Their brother in Christ had said he was concerned if the fathers know how old their children were.  One father angrily replied, “Of course we know how old our children are!”  The concerned member replied, “I don’t mean to irritate you, but you all seem confused about how old they are.”  Another man challenged, “Tell us how we seem confused.”

“I will,” the concerned member softly answered, “but you won’t like the answer. I’ll start with Robert, who is not expected to sit still for thirty minutes during the sermon, because he’s ‘too young’ ....”     “He is too young!” interrupted Robert’s father.   “Perhaps, but you expect him to sit for hours in school,” continued the concerned member.

“Then there is Sharon, who is old enough to sing with the radio, but isn’t expected to sing with the congregation.  And what about Michael!  He won’t even say, ‘Hello” when an adult greets him after services.  He learned the rules of soccer, so why can’t he learn basic etiquette?  And what about Janice.  Is she too young for the Bible.  Her Bible class reads paraphrased ‘Bible Stories” rather than the Bible itself, yet she is ‘old enough’ to watch PG movies.

Is Jimmy really too young to learn the books of the Bible?  He was able to learn the fifty states.  And how can Ellen be old enough to write a paper for school, but too young to look up the scripture references during the sermon?  How can Tiffany ...”  “All right, you can stop,” said Tiffany’s father.

There was silence for a few moments, then another father said, “I have been treating my child as if he were grown up during the week and as if he were a baby on Sunday.  It seems the rest of us have not done much better.  God told us to bring up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  And I don’t think we have been doing it very well.”

No one answered.  The silence that followed was the silence of prayer.

—Selected
From the Henderson Herald
Henderson Church of Christ