The Culture of Despair
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6, ESV) We are living in a culture of despair and it is ubiquitous. The past couple of weeks we have seen the results of this by young men who committed heinous crimes.
Why are our children consumed with hate, bigotry, and violence? And what part have we as adults, parents, teachers, pastors, and counselors have failed our children? What hope do they have if we have stripped them from the Prince of Hope, Love, and Peace? They are filled with despair and hopelessness and the future looks bleak to them. They are unable to differentiate truth from fiction because of conflicting, and false narratives they have learned from childhood to young adults.
Our schools, the media, and social network have negatively impacted and influenced our children who may not have a strong, positive frame of reference. God has been replaced with propaganda, fanatism, secular humanism, hostility, anti-religionism, consumerism, and denigration of traditional family values. Children must be trained and must know there are rules in life they must follow. Family rules that will inspire them to live a life with integrity. God must be centralized in their lives and they must not feel castigated for doing so. Because God is Hope and Strength.
As adults, we must live our lives with consistent integrity by practicing what we preach to our young people. Our love for them must be sincere and not manipulative. We must pray for our children and for each other. Demonstrate our love for God in front of them and tell them the truth, the truth of God's Word and family's values. We must not fabricate lies to manipulate or mislead them in any way. Children are very intuitive and they will sense your insincerity. We must not be too preachy or religious or self-righteous with them. Let God work through you so His love can flow to them. Teach our children the love of God, pray with them and for them and assure them that they are not alone. God is their continued strength and hope in a culture of despair.
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