If you’ve ever watched cows in a field, you’ve seen how they always seem to think that the grass is greener
on the other side of the fence. Constantly I see cows reaching through the fence,
stretching the wires so they can get to the “better” grass. Unfortunately,
their actions have a negative side-effect. By stretching and bending the
fences, they weaken them and make openings that-while not big enough for
themselves to use as an improvised gate, are big enough for their calves to squeeze through.
And, following the example of their parents, they push their way through the
fence in search of better grass--often times ending up getting killed by wolves or
vehicles.
Is
your home similar to a cow’s field? Do you, as parents stretch the boundaries,
knowing it won’t hurt you, but not thinking about the danger your actions pose
to your children?
Israelites
Another
example came from the children of Israel. In Judges we read that they were told
by the Lord to wipe out the inhabitants of a land so they could take possession
of it and keep their purity. But the older generation decided that they could
handle the temptations, and it would be better to allow them to remain and
become their neighbors. What they didn’t think about was that their children
weren’t as strong as they, and many fell to the temptations and evils of the
people.
Now,
obviously we aren’t supposed to annihilate all bad examples around us. But do we
have to invite less than good influences into our homes. We might think, “This
movie has a few bad spots in it, but I can block that out. I'll close my eyes and
then it’s ok.” But do we realize that our kids might not be closing their eyes?
And that they will dwell on the bad spots, just out of curiosity at first,
until they eventually will find a time when you aren’t around, and play the
movie to satisfy their curiosity. Do we swear every now and then, believing it
doesn’t really hurt us. Do we stretch the borders of truth just a bit, hoping our kids won't catch us?
Every time we make exceptions for ourselves, we're opening a hole in our moral fence that our kids can squeeze through. Do we really want them out there, past the moral boundaries? Shouldn't we be the examples?
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