May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us,That He may incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His precepts which He commanded our fathers (I Kings 8:57-58 — Amplified Bible). It's been more than a year since we got our "new" car, and every now and then, when parking in front of the house, I still sometimes bump into the curb. Just a little bump. Really. And yes, I know, do that often enough, and we'll have to take in the car for an alignment job. All too often, we need alignment jobs, too. Life can be a bumpy ride, and heart, mind and soul, we need to be re-inclined in the right direction. A heart turned toward God is something we hope and pray for, for our children, but it's one of those things that is easier said than done. How does it happen? It might be helpful to think about what encourages and discourages such an inclination of the heart, and most especially, what encourages and discourages the inclination of our children's hearts. Just as I need to watch the curb and anticipate the angle of the car as I back up, parents need to watch their children. A few bumps are okay, but big ones and too many cause problems. One of our most important responsibilities is protecting our children from ideas and experiences that could be harmful. Just as we would never let our cars park themselves (though there's a Lexus that can do that now — sort of), as children grow, we need to exercise care and guidance to keep them moving in the right direction.
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