When people talk about the moral condition of society, they blame it on drugs, the entertainment industry, poor schools, crooked politicians, the liberal media, etc. Those are all by-products of the root cause — the breakdown of the family.

Not only do single-parent families struggle with disciplining their children, but families that have both father and mother sometimes neglect their responsibility of parenting.

In Proverbs, the Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The responsibility of a parent is to raise up a child with love and discipline and by being a godly example.

Love is not giving them everything they desire but protecting their best interest with compassionate discipline.

I’m reminded of a story of two fathers who were neighbors. One was a Christian role model who had guidelines for his children to live by. The neighbor was a free-spirited man who believed in giving his children room to grow, as he often put it. He insisted children be allowed to make decisions and learn from their own mistakes, without constant supervision or rules.

One day, the neighbor challenged the Christian father to ease up

and let his children enjoy life.

After a brief discussion about their different parenting styles, the Christian father invited his neighbor to take a ride with him because there was something he wanted him to see.

They stopped at a house with a yard that was unkempt. The grass was high and had what seemed to

be flowered beds. The driver asked, “What do you think of the landscape?” The neighbor, looking

puzzled, answered, “The yard is a disgrace!” “I agree,” said the

driver, “but last year this yard was voted the first place winner by the Garden Club as the prettiest yard in town.”

“What’s the point?” the neighbor asked. The other man replied, “The point is that the man who lived there died, and no one was left to attend to the weeds.” He continued, “You see, this yard reminds me of what will happen to my children if I leave them unattended. The cares of the world will rob them of what God has purposed for their lives.”

That story should be a reminder to parents to take Galatians 6:7 seriously. It reads, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.