TEACHING A TODDLER TO SMOKE
Surreal is an overused and misused word. But inasmuch as the word is synonymous with weird and freakish, it applies to a video I saw recently on the news concerning Ardi Rizai of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nothing is more strange and bizarre than the sight of a child in diapers alternating between drinking a bottle and taking a drag off of a cigarette! It appears that the two year old has had to split celebrity with a four year old Indonesian boy smoking clove cigarettes and cursing with the encouragement of surrounding adults. Little Ardi was given his first cigarette at 18 months, and quickly became addicted. He had been smoking as many as 40 per day, but has cut back to 15.
Twisted and dark hearts can corrupt little minds so quickly. Have you ever had the heartbreaking experience of hearing an innocent child cursing to the amusement of parents? I cannot understand what would motivate parents and caregivers to push little children toward evil in an already sinful, fallen world. This story ranks up there among the most irresponsible parental behavior of which I have ever heard. Yet, it is a reminder of what a small child can learn, pick up, and do proficiently. He looks like a midget as he sits there and puffs.
A two-year-old child can be taught to pray, can learn Bible facts and memorize Bible verses, can be shown how to shake hands with an adult, can master a pretty large repertoire of “church songs,” can sit in Bible class, and thereby have a strong spiritual foundation. When tempted to sell short those little, impressionable minds, take a good look at that picture of Ardi. But also remember that we are stewards of these eternal souls housed in little bodies and equipped with virtually boundless potential. Jesus wants little children to come unto Him (Mt. 19:14). Today, that means pointing them in the proper spiritual direction and helping these dear little ones to maximize their potential for good. We can as easily teach a toddler to love the Lord as to light up! May we treasure our tiniest and teachable trusts and shape and mold them to be the best they can be for our God.
–Neal Pollard