Family and Children

Published in the Brechin Advertiser on 11 April 2013

We talk a lot about children and how they are our future. They are to be protected and on and on. Then we turn around and slam everything they do. OK a big paint roller kind of characterization perhaps. But it is a start to this train of thought.

I have the blessing of having all my children and grand-kids at home for the first time in 5 years. (Yeah I know, Ruth and I don’t look near old enough to have grand-kids... That is where you are supposed to laugh with me not at me.) It has been nice and I am enjoying the time, so if you don’t see me out and about much that is why—family time.

Anyway it reminds me of the verses that say “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them…” [Psalm 127:3-5] I am blessed in many ways, I have good children, not perfect or always act like I want them to, but basically good. Granted they are not all raised yet but we are well on the journey.

Sadly too often it seems we don’t appreciate the gift from God that our children are. There is that wee bit that compares our children to arrows. Arrows are useless if they are not pointed to a target. Yet we are to do our part to do the aiming, the directing and raising of these gifts from God.

I watch and see so many abused kids it scares me at times. I read the papers and news reports and see two extremes of abuse. There are those that act in neglect, as if their children have no value and therefore can be treated with contempt and distain or worse. We treat them like evolution is true and they are little apes. The other abuse I see is those that give in to every whim and desire of the children. Neither approach can be good for aiming as both allow the children to aim themselves with no wisdom.

My hope is that we have not gone too far as a society and wake very soon to realize that the process is just repeating itself over and over. Just a bit of a thought that perhaps we can interact about in the coming weeks. Family is in meltdown and the basic bedrock of society is crumbling and yet we are not talking about how we are to raise children or the basis of marriage in our world and how this holds it all together. We talk about education and that is good but raising good kids is more than mere head knowledge and goes to learning how to use that knowledge properly.

Just thankful for my family,

Rev. Jon Bergen