When do you know a child
has hit the age of understanding? It’s simple. For me, the test is still the
same we see in the bible. When the child becomes aware of his own nakedness…
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and
they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together and made themselves coverings”. Genesis 3:7
Then you know the
child understands. At this stage, he has a personal will and the dedication at
birth no longer exempts him from sin. At this point, you need to begin to
instruct the child in Christian living and ensure that he doesn't stray away
from the presence of the lord.
You still think children
cannot go to hell? Let’s dig into scripture:
“Josiah was eight years old when he became king,
and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right
in the sight of the Lord, and
walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn
aside to the right hand or to the left”.
2 Chronicles 34:1-2
Josiah was eight years old
when he became king. Still a child you would say, but old enough to have the
responsibility of leading a kingdom thrust upon him. Even at that age,
accountability was necessary. The bible records that he DID right in God’s
sight. This means that even as a child, he was capable of doing wrong!
Juxtapose this with another
King who was just a few years older…
“Manasseh was twelve
years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the
sight of the Lord, according
to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had
cast out before the children of Israel”.
2 Kings 21:1-2
These two examples lead to
one conclusion, children can do right and wrong in the sight of God. Therefore,
no matter the age of your child, as long as such child has reached the age of
understanding, it is important that you bring such a child to Christ. Don’t
take this for granted and assume that your child knows no evil. As long as a
child can understand, he can become prey for the Devil and you as a parent have
the moral and spiritual obligation to turn that child away from evil.
Do you know what happens
when we fail to lead our children to Christ?
“ Again the word of the Lord came
to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say
to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a
man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet
and warns the people, then whoever hears the
sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes
him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his
blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the
trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any
person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I
will require at the watchman’s hand.”
Ezekiel 33:1-6
And there
you have it. You become guilty if you fail to preach to that child.
Need even
more?
“And
I say unto thee, let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let
him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. And it came to pass by
the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Then
Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it
at his feet, and said, surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him
go: then she said, a bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision”.
Exodus 4:23-26
In the
bible passage above, Moses had failed to circumcise his son. Circumcision in
many respects is similar to a new covenant with God and claiming a new heritage
under Abraham as opposed to Adam. The failure of Moses in ensuring that his own
son was within God’s catchment area almost led to God slaying him.
Bible
history tells us that Samuel was about 12 years old when God called him, Jesus
started preaching in the temple as a young boy. This presupposes that when a
child has reached the age of understanding, he can be used by God and conversely,
by the devil. Do not let the devil have a stronghold in the life of the choice
child God has given you, dedicate that child to God. To make assurances doubly
sure, re-dedicate that child to God today. And as the child hits the age of
understanding, help him, guide him and direct him so that he never wanders off
from the presence of God.
Ify was a
teen. However, because of his condition, he was barely able to do anything. One
could have assumed that such a boy was not capable of sin, however, two things
are constant in Ify’s case:
- He was already at an age of understanding and as such, he could sin in thoughts, words and deeds.
- The grace of salvation is only given freely to those who claim it.
Ify could
claim it and my father made sure that Ify did. VICTORY!
In moving
forward…
Sometimes
I ask myself, what is the meaning of life? Why should such a child suffer all
the days God gives him only to die in a miserable and painful way?
I have
the biblical perspectives to these questions but sometimes, humanity creeps in
and I break. The best response I could find to this question that hurts a good
number of us was gotten from www.chabad.org:
“But as long as the pain of innocents remains a burning question,
we are bothered by its existence. And as long as we can't explain pain, we must
alleviate it. If innocent people suffering does not fit into our worldview, we
must eradicate it. Rather than justifying their pain, we need to get rid of it.
So keep asking the question, why do bad things happen to good
people. But stop looking for answers. Start formulating a response. Take your
righteous anger and turn it into a force for doing good. Redirect your
frustration with injustice and unfairness and channel it into a drive to fight
injustice and unfairness. Let your outrage propel you into action. When you see
innocent people suffering, help them. Combat the pain in the world with
goodness. Alleviate suffering wherever you can.
We don't want answers, we don't want explanations, and we don't want
closure. We want an end to suffering. And we dare not leave it up to God to
alleviate suffering. He is waiting for us to do it. That's what we are here
for.
Friends,
I have seen pain. I have lost loved ones and I still have several unanswered
questions for God. Sometimes I have such
heaviness in my heart that it hurts...But one thing I have learnt is
true “When you cannot trace him, just learn to trust him” All things work together for good to those
who love God. The end is all that matters. We cannot fully determine the
conditions life will throw in our path, we cannot question God’s decision to
allow certain things be. In all, what should concern us is simple: God has left us with one choice “How we shall
spend eternity” and this my friends, is all that should count.
Take a step of faith…gather the choice children
God has given you...
The ones who have not reached the age of
understanding, rededicate them to Christ and the ones who have reached the age,
take them through the sinner’s prayer and let them give their lives to Jesus
Christ.
And then nurture them, love them and let God’s
work begin to manifest in them.
That’s really all we can do. That’s really all we
can do.
Rest in
peace Ify. I bless God for the lessons he teaches us through our sorrows and
pain.
Follow on twitter @june7project and do drop a comment to share your thoughts.
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