05 22 08 WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?


“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”
(Ephesians 6:1 NIV)

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord.”
(Colossians 3:20 NET)

"Scripture says, ‘Honor your father and mother.’
That is the first commandment that has a promise.
‘Then things will go well with you.
You will live a long time on the earth’… (Deuteronomy 5:16)"
(Ephesians 6:2-3 NIrV)

As a father of four and grandfather of four (well, two more on the way soon), I am concerned about children and families. So much so, my wife and I have dedicated our life’s work to follow God’s call to serve at-risk children and their families. Our goal is to keep the family together and to do it by God’s proven standards rather than the failed attempts of a sinful world system.
As I listened to Christian radio today (Grace to You) Pastor John MacArthur really got my attention. As he focused on the biblical instruction on child-rearing, he also mentioned some eye-opening statistics concerning ADD/ADHD and the medications commonly used: parents are you listening?

Here is some interesting information I discovered while searching the web today:

The main observed side effects of Ritalin as reported by the ADD/ADHD Information Library (Copyright 1996-2007) are loss of appetite, some irritability or anger and possible short term growth inhibition. "While Ritalin is an effective medication that improves the quality of life for many children with ADHD, accurately diagnosing and identifying the correct treatment regimen for the disorder is essential, especially when considering health effects that can last through adulthood." (William Carlezon, Ph.D., director of McLean Hospital's Behavioral Genetics Laboratory and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School 2004) In an article published by McNeil Pediatrics™, a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc (which is solely responsible for its contents). Some common symptoms of ADHD were listed below. A child with six or more of these symptoms was to be considered a candidate for ADHD and possible medication: child may fidget; talk excessively; run around at inappropriate times; frequently disrupt class; blurts out answers in class; takes action before thinking; makes rash decisions; has difficulty with hyperactivity/impulsivity; not paying attention; makes careless mistakes; is not listening; is not finishing tasks; is not following directions and is unusually or easily distracted.

Did this alarm you at all? What six year old (boy especially) is not fidgety, careless, unthinking, talkative, inattentive, and easily distracted? My sons were and are. My wife will tell you I still am! We all just became candidates for Ritalin! With all due respect to the medical professionals, to me this is an epidemic. Too many children are being made candidates for drug dependency when God has wired them to be overactive, multi-tasking, hyper-energetic, impulsive, and ever-ready battery missionaries, pastors, teachers, and yes, doctors!

What more of us parents need to do is spend more time getting to know our kids and less time in the doctor’s office, as he studies them. We need to be in the classroom more with the teachers and on the field trips. We need to be watching shows with our children and playing the video games with them. We need to coach them, teach them, and study with them. The main ingredient of parenting is the parent; not the pastor, teacher, youth director, coach, or babysitter (TV?). WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?

Children are crying out for love, attention, and guidelines. They will not admit it, but they need structure and discipline. For children to obey, honor, and respect parents, we must first be the parents God has instructed us all to be. We must do our part! Then children, it’s up to you!

A child raised in a God-centered home cannot sensibly say, “I’m gonna do what I’m gonna do” and not expect God to step in at some point. If his or her parents are doing all they can possibly do to care and provide for them, they are accountable to their parents and to the Lord. Many things are not going well (Ephesians 6:2-3/Deuteronomy 5:16) for young people today because of the simple fact that they will not or did not honor their parents…in the Lord! (Ephesians 6:1/Colossians 3:20)

Many things have been left to the medical world and juvenile justice system because we have failed the Lord; as parents and as children! Is it not time to change? Is it not time to live in the Lord and for His sake? WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?