Raising Kids in the Age of Foolishness

There are enough fools in the world!

Raising Kids in the Age of Foolishness: Pauses

Prov.14:15 “The naive believes everything, But the sensible person considers his steps.” 

Each morning when I open my email, I see messages from sources I do not know. Some say that I have an order for a product that needs attention before it can be delivered. I have learned by experience that when I see this, I am likely one click away from falling for a scam that could drain my bank account. These techno-predators depend on gullibility to succeed. The naïve believes everything. A young girl is told by an older boy that he loves her. A battered wife is told by her abusive husband that he is sorry, and he won’t do it again and again and again. The shady huckster tells the desperate couple if they invest their savings with him, they will double their money in six months. The feeble-minded senior citizen is told they need to pay a fine or go to jail for failure to appear for jury duty. All these are situations that demand that we pause.

Our children are walking through a field of landmines. Before they put their foot down, they need to pause to think. Caution is needed to avoid the traps. How many times do we tell our children to “be careful.” We must be careful not to create a generation of paranoid adults, afraid to leave their homes. But we must also be careful not to create a bunch of naïve and gullible targets for the scammers of the world. Again, I refer to Jesus’ words to be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.

Notice the word “considers” in the text. The Hebrew word means “to separate mentally.” Life is an exercise constantly separating good from bad. The Hebrew writer spoke about those who were immature. These are feasting on milk when they should have graduated to meat. “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) Who is going to train your child? This training surely includes theological discernment, but it also requires training in situational discernment. We must go far beyond merely telling our children not to talk to strangers. The societal dangers are many. Make a list of the real threats your children face. Devise your plan to train them how to be sensible in considering their steps. THERE ARE ENOUGH FOOLS IN THE WORLD.