Elementary Thoughts: Selfishness – Part 5

Paul writes in II Corinthians 12:14 that “… children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children…” Ask yourself these very important questions: “As a parent, what am I saving up for my children? What is the heritage I am providing for them through my life? What do I want my children to remember about me on the day of my funeral?”

I am obviously not talking about finances. I am speaking of things which are immensely more important to our well being. These are memories, relationships, family traditions, character, and spiritual understanding; the factors which eventually write the script of our lives. They inspire to success or discourage us from trying. They instill in us the attitudes with which we approach living as human beings.

I asked the congregation of our church one evening to raise their hands if they had pleasant memories of their childhood family life. Only about half of the people sitting there that evening could raise their hands. The number of young adults who feel this way today does not surprise me. In fact, I believe that the number of adults with unhappy and frustrated attitudes toward their childhood years is going to significantly increase in the years to come. Too many parents are simply too busy with their own pursuit of self satisfaction. They make little time to be actively involved in anything but the most peripheral activities of their child’s life.

Each year I increasingly hear from teachers their concerns over parental response, or lack of it, regarding their own children’s needs. Teachers are more and more often coming away from conferences having been made to feel that they have unnecessarily intruded upon the parent’s valuable time. Often, teachers are given the impression by parents that if their child is having a problem at school, it is the school’s problem and the school needs to make whatever accommodation is necessary to take care of it.

In a society of self-pleasers, it is much easier to deal with any problem by believing that it belongs to someone else. Problems take time to resolve. They require our involvement and undivided attention. Most adults, today, are so preoccupied with their own personal lives that they react with symptoms of emotional burnout if they have to become intensely involved in helping their children resolve important issues. In these circumstances, relatively small problems can bring forth outbursts of highly charged emotions. (Continued tomorrow)