It is difficult to let your kids go. Parents worry about how their children will fare when they are on their own. We want them to make good decisions. We want them to remember the important lessons we tried to teach them. We want them to grow into responsible adults we can be proud. How can we make it more likely that when we set them free, we are not casting them adrift?
First, we need to teach them the truth about this world. There is a wonderful line in the Third Letter of John: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” We need to teach them the truth about God. We need to teach them the truth about themselves. We need to teach them the truth about the way the world really is. They are growing up in a world that denies reality. They are growing up in a world that says everyone has their own truth. They are growing up in a world that calls you are a hater if you speak the truth. We don’t want to launch kids out into the world and let the world teach them the truth. They will come back confused, at best. We need to teach them the truth.
Second, we need to let them practice. They need to practice making decisions. They need to practice handing responsibility. They need to practice making choices in low risk situations. If they are sent out into the world without practicing resposnsibility, it is as if they stepped out of the boat that is home onto the lake that is the world. They will sink to the bottom like a rock. Let the kids practice walking in the truth.
In our sermon this Sunday we will be talking about letting kids go without losing them.