The Myth of a Child's Resilience

It is staggering to think of the power that God has given to parents in the
shaping and molding of their children. The effects can often be quite dramatic.

The Myth of a Child's Resilience

"And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath,
but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

(Ephesians 6:4)

It is staggering to think of the power that God has given to parents in the shaping and molding of their children. As parents, we are not to provoke our children to wrath by what we say or do. But we should consistently and lovingly train and teach them about Jesus and admonish them daily to surrender their lives to the God who loves them even more than we do as their parents.

I recently listened with much interest to Dr. Jennifer Morse speak about the myth of childhood resilience. She believes--and I completely agree--that it is erroneous to dismiss a child's difficulties with the old cliché that everything will be okay because children are so resilient. The truth is, they are not that resilient, and they will not necessarily be fine. True, God's power is limitless, and He can enable anyone to overcome any difficulty, but to say flippantly that a child whose parents get a divorce, for example, will be just fine and it is not that big of a deal, well, that is simply inaccurate.

I heard Dr. Morse on an episode of the podcast "Think Biblically," hosted by Drs. Scott Rae and Sean McDowell (son of Josh McDowell), both of whom teach at BIOLA University's Talbot School of Theology. Dr. Morse is the current president of the Ruth Institute and a former professor of economics at Yale University. (She graduated from the University of Rochester with her Ph.D. in Economics.) I wish every couple with small children could listen to Dr. Morse. She eloquently and persuasively speaks on the importance of the family. In her new book, Love and Economics: It Takes a Family to Raise a Village, she defends the family as the primary cultural institution "responsible for the prosperity and well being of the next generation." She maintains that "all of the virtues necessary for flourishing economically are learned in the family." (Click this link for more information and also the podcast episode to which I am referring. I think you will be blessed and encouraged by what Dr Morse has to say.)

I know of couples with small children who are struggling and fighting for their marriages. I applaud them and want to do all in my power to cheer them on. So much is at stake, not only in the lives of their children, but also in the life of our nation. Will you pause for a minute and pray for families right now? Also, will you consider reaching out to the young families you know and simply telling them you love them and want to be a blessing and a source of encouragement to them? Thank you!

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Pastor Danny’s brand-new book, For the One, clearly explains how you can use Jesus’ own techniques to influence the ones you love—and win their hearts for eternity.

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Podcast of the Week

Nicodemus, Pt. 4
(For the One)

Pastor Danny continues his analysis of Jesus' interactions with and impact on Nicodemus, shares C.H. Spurgeon's conversion story, and talks a bit about running the Dopey Race at Walt Disney World this past weekend.