“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15, ESV).

Farai is an AIDS orphan in Zimbabwe. He lost his mother to this fearsome plague when he was ten; he never knew his father. At first he wandered the dusty streets of his village, scratching a living by looking in trash cans for anything that might be eaten or bartered.

Now he is sixteen, tall and thin. His voice is that of a man, with the harshness of one who has seen cruelties beyond his years. He is also a criminal, the head of a street gang he joined when he was thirteen. He is violent, selfish and uncaring. Such is the life of a child without the discipline and guidance of parents.

Of course Farai’s example is extreme, but there are children in our society that, though they are not orphans in the literal sense of losing a parent, have been neglected by parents who are too busy making money, living their lifestyle, or who have mistaken indulgence for love.

A child’s heart possesses folly and selfishness, not because children are evil, but because they are human. They need guidance, boundaries and discipline. Without this, they will take the path of least resistance, and usually that means a life not lived to its potential.

Love your children enough to be their parents!

by Stan Mitchell @ www.forthright.net