What do you feed your child?

Recently I heard my father, telling our children, how with great difficulty he has grown and reached this far. With no electricity, how three or four of them had to sit aroung a kerosene lamp to study. How he had meagre food to eat. How many miles he had to walk, because there were no public transport, forget about your own cars. But through it all how God had been faithful. How God has been wonderful in His life and how imperative it is to cling to God. He was also quoting Deutr:11:19. "Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up."

I was reminded of the verse today as I sat for my quiet time. 

Psalm:44:1 O God we have heard it with our own ears. 

Our ancestors have told us

All you did in their day

In days long ago. 

What do we feed our children with? Is it a competitive spirit or a dependant spirit? Are we teaching them to see this world with  the eyes of faith or tuning them to the likeness of this futile world. Are we making them realize the brevity of this world or because we have money, do we focus on everything they ask for, because we can afford? Do we expose them to the sad realities of poverty, hungry tummy, self made toys made out of trash, incapacity to go to school because of lack of money. That we are not the elite and it is all by God's grace, what we have. The things that we have including the clothes we wear, shelter to sleep, good food to eat are luxuries which a vast majority including our forefathers never had. And thence we should humble ourselves, we need to depend on Him, we should stop thinking 'I deserve it' and 'It is my right.'

We often say the next generation is difficult to handle. But who is responsible? Giving them whatever they ask for. Phones, games, food, any luxury they dream of, is on their table the next day even if it costs you much. That's not the way to show love. It all arose from what we feed them. We try to give them what we did not have in our childhood. That's not love. Letting them learn to go through difficulties and making them strong and compassionate to others. That's how we love them. 

Unless they see the other side of the wall, how will they be loving and compassionate. They will just paint their walls and finish off their story. Unless they know what is beyond, how will they humble themselves. Unless they see and go through difficulties, they will think luxury is the norm. 

May be I'm confusing enough and you might not be able to agree with me. But I think it's right time we step up for our children.