Sunday afternoon, my son, Brandon, sent me this clip. At first I told him that I totally agreed with Pastor Sammy; and then he reminded me that I did this to him back during the early pandemic when he was in his senior year and not doing well with his grades. I told him he couldn’t go anywhere, including the youth activity (FLAME) that he enjoyed most. Hey, desperate times called for desperate measures! LOL! But one of my pastor friends (Josh) had to call me to get me to allow Brandon to return to their youth group weekly gathering.
Parents read this closely – DO NOT EVER withhold church activities as a form of punishment to your kids. You might see it as you’re taking away what they enjoy; but you are making a huge mistake! I grew up in church culture and had a friend whose parents did this very often. And even at my younger age, I knew it was wrong.
If you keep holding your kids back from church, I guarantee you that one day, you will regret it, and you will wish your kids wanted to go to church.
I teach middle school students at church, and I can tell you how frustrating and discouraging it can be when I know the kids want to be there, but the parents don’t bring them. And yet they’ll make the sacrifices for sports and other activities. But I see some older kids who give their parents problems, and I think back to when they were younger and their parents were not consistent in bringing their children to church. Now they’re paying the consequences.
Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he/she should go, and when he/she is old, they will not depart.”
I am a Proverbs 22:6 kid, and I am proof that they can come back….
DO NOT LET THEM STAY HOME & STOP USING THIS AS A FORM OF PUNISHMENT!
FindJoy 