by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
November 10
A Conspiracy of Silence (Part Two) Proverbs 7:6,7
For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, and I saw among the naive, I discerned among the youths, a young man lacking sense.
In a culture saturated with conflicting and damaging views about sexuality, we need to aggressively seize the opportunity to shape our children's views. May I suggest three barriers every parent must dismantle if children are to receive training necessary to traverse a landscape that is infested with traps, temptations and tests?Barrier One: Our own ambivalent feelings about sex. Many parents never received solid sex education as children, so they don't know how to teach their own kids.
And many others have baggage to deal with-their past mistakes. Growing up in an era where sex was said to be "free love," they learned that it was neither free nor was it love. Many have told me they fear their children asking, "Were you a virgin when you married?"
Barrier Two: A shallow relationship with your child. Good relationships demand intimacy, risk and courage. Some parents instinctively sense that they have not built strong relationships with their children. When the time comes to broach this subject, they are uncomfortable because they know that the foundation isn't there.
But I believe God wants us to have these discussions with our children not merely to educate them about sex, but also to move our relationship to a deeper, more intimate level.
Barrier Three: Fear. I've heard parents make statements like, "Well, I could never talk to my kid about that." What I want to say to you as a parent is you don't have to be an expert to talk to your kids. Just walk in there empowered by God, representing His perspective of this sacred area of life. It's a great privilege. And it's your responsibility.
Parents are standing by while their children are being robbed of their innocence. It is time for us to seize our children back from a culture that has held them as hostages.
Prayer:
For one another that you will tackle the barriers that would keep you from training your children, and practice your Christianity where it really counts-at home with your teens.
Discuss: Which of the barriers to teaching your kids about sex apply to you? How would you describe your current plan for sex education? Do you feel it's adequate? Why, or why not?