A close friend of ours was in the supermarket a couple of weeks ago with his daughter of four. He pulled the shopping cart up to the checkout counter, picked his daughter up out of the cart and set her down beside him, then began unloading his items on the conveyor belt. When he finished, he turned to his daughter, but she was gone. Nowhere to be seen.

Rather than going into the store to look for her, perhaps by instinct he raced out to the sidewalk. Across the street, in the supermarket parking lot, she was being led away by the hand by a strange man.

This friend’s experience is every parent’s nightmare.

At the same time, many parents are handing their children over to others who will corrupt their souls, and consider it normal!

They deliver them over to teachers and administrators in public schools whose institutional mission is to inculcate in children concepts and beliefs contrary to the word of God.

Parents deliver their children up to media whose stated purpose is to persuade the viewer of a worldview against the life in Christ and the liberty of the Spirit given us by the grace of God.

Parents allow children to make friends with any kids their own age and influence them toward immorality, disrespect and rebellion.

They hand them off to babysitters, nursery schools, preschools, and child services, whose primary interest is pecuniary, so father and mother can pursue materialistic goals.

Parents are careful to protect their children from predators who would violate their bodies, but how diligent are we to keep our children out of the claws of those who would steal their souls?

Some parents even go so far as to say it is good to expose children, at a tender age when they have not developed discernment, to contrary opinions and diverse views. Those who say such have no idea of the harm they do to the little ones.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 NET).

J. Randal Matheny @ www.forthright.net