train a child in the way he should go…?
Mar 3rd, 2008 by melinda
It’s Sunday, and for me that means church. Today I went to church with my parents, which was definitely… an experience.
I witnessed two different events, different in every way, but equally alarming.
First, I watched a grandmother disciplining her grandkids. All three of them, all girls, had been kind of teasing and tormenting each other. The grandmother first reached down and shook her finger violently. When the children did not respond to her immediately, she drew her hand back as if to hit them - right in the middle of church! This didn’t look like a smack-on-the-rear spanking either. Grandma had this angry look in her eyes that frightened me! I can’t imagine how the kids felt. Needless to say, I was quite stunned.
A few minutes later, during the worship, I saw a girl from a different family dancing. I think this girl is seven years old. She wasn’t being disruptive - just bouncing around and really enjoying the music. Her father reached down and put his hand on her shoulder, indicating she should be still. How sad this made me! I wish we could all have the joyful abandon to dance for Jesus. Such love should never be stifled!
I will be praying for these children. I know it’s cliche, but children are our future. We owe it to them to teach them to live life with abandon.
