Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 3:5-7 (day seven)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. vs 5
Much has been made of the statistic showing that young people who grew up in the church are leaving at an alarming rate. There are a myriad of possibilities as to why these numbers are set so high (some will say 70-80%). Some of it falls back into youth group and church dynamics, but ultimately, students will prioritize the things that they see are important to the people whom they are most influenced by. That finger should point to the parents. So the question becomes what did those parents prioritize? What did they put their trust in?
More often than not, their actions demonstrated a trust in their own understanding over a trust in the Lord. They were worried about paying for college, so they trusted in the coach of the traveling ball team who told them their child had D-1 potential. They were worried about their child not fitting in, so they got them the cell phone, even though they knew their child wasn’t ready for the world it would unlock. They were worried about how they might look as parents, so they didn’t open up to their church community about the struggles they were having at home. Over time, Sundays disappeared, the Word of God was little used, and the child was shown that Jesus was an afterthought. Parents, what are you putting your trust in? What are your actions showing your children that you prioritize?
Great article Rick. You hit the nail on the head today. Thank you.