Brenda’s Blog – May 2, 2023
“Such a shame to see the loss. The bars couldn’t save them.”
In East Texas along highway 80 is a house noticeably marked by destruction. That is not particularly uncommon, but the exterior tells an unusual story.
Every window and the front door are completely covered with wrought iron bars. The immediate impression is a desire for safety. The house’s exterior presents itself as a fortified building, impervious to attack.
But you notice the burned out interior. The danger and damage didn’t come from the outside, but from a fire which began on the inside. The great loss didn’t occur because thieves broke through the iron, but because flames engulfed the inside.
As I looked at the remains the thought slammed into my brain (and heart). We can do everything to protect our children, grandchildren, and ourselves from the “threats of the world,” but often the deterioration begins from the inside. We too often point to others as the source of the family’s breakdown without acknowledging our own values we have adopted and brought home. The child who feels lonely because his parents are connected to their devices wrote a school paper saying he wished he could be a smart phone because then his parents would hold him, pay attention to him, and think he was important. How much damage do we do when our values are skewed?
And what about the attitude which rails against the wickedness of the world without giving our children a sense of God’s goodness, richness, and purpose for their lives? Failing to teach and live trust in a sovereign God lights little flames which grow into bonfires of disregard for things of the Lord. When a true God isn’t taught and worshipped no amount of “religious talk” will suffice.
The threat may be “out there,” but the protection we seek starts at home. Don’t put bars on the windows thinking you can shut the world out ; the interior must be fully armed by a living, vital faith in God as seen in Jesus Christ.