Time for a Change
If you've been in early childhood long enough, you've probably heard someone say, "That child needs the fear of God put in them." I can't say that I disagree. I've been in early childhood for twenty-one years now, and I can tell you the kids we are seeing now are very different from the kids from twenty years ago. The violent behavior is increasing while visible remorse is decreasing.
So, what's the importance of fear? Well, if a child touches a hot pan on the stove, it hurts. They learned a lesson. Why don't they touch it again? Because, they are afraid of the pain! That's right, fear is a big part of our growing and learning process.
What happened to the fear of God? It is becoming more and more clear that our children no longer possess that fear of God. Why not? I've been pondering this for some time now. When did they lose that fear of God and why? The obvious answer is that they aren't being taught to have a fear of God. Maybe it's time for our leaders to pull out the big guns with some hell, fire, and damnation sermons. Still, something doesn't fit.
If as adults we can watch children's behavior and spot a lack of the fear of God, why can't children watch adults and see it? How is it that they aren't seeing this fear of God modeled? Children can learn so much by what is being modeled. Simple answer is it isn't being modeled!
Adults are showing no fear of God. When did we as a society lose our fear of God? How many Christians have no fear of God themselves? Yes, God wants us to love him. Yes, he is our protector, but we also should fear him. There are so many mentions of this in the Bible. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Likewise, Proverbs 9:10 and Proverbs 15:33 tell that fear of God will bring wisdom, and Proverbs 8:13 says, "To fear the Lord is to hate evil." Other examples can be found in Deuteronomy 6:13; Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 31:12; Proverbs 10:27; Proverbs 14:27; Proverbs 16:6; Proverbs 19:23; Isaiah 11:3; Luke 12:5; Philippians 2:17. You get the idea, right? This is sort of a big deal.
This caused me to step back and take a more critical look. Where can we find the fear of God being taught today? In our churches? Are you sure? When I took a deeper look into our churches, I saw a lot of things going on in our churches that would anger God, so why don't we fear? Who are we to tell someone that they are not allowed to enter God's house? You shake your head, but it happens still.
God said whosoever believeth in him, not only the ones of our choosing. He didn't say sinners stay out, but we do. Oh, I know we're all sinners, but that doesn't stop some from decreeing that certain sins are too vile to allow that person into our churches. We are essentially telling those people, "You stay away from my God; He doesn't love you," and yet, we do not fear the repercussions from God. That's crazy, right? And, it's only one example.
It starts with us. Our kids no longer carry a fear of God, because we no longer carry a fear of God. It is impossible to learn from us what we have forgotten. So, what do we do? What will you do?
