A major danger in this generation is that parents neglect their children. It is absolutely unacceptable for domestic helpers or nannies to spend more time with children than their parents. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Bad company corrupts good character.”

The person with whom children communicate the most is the one from whom they learn the most. If you are a parent, you owe it to God to raise the children He has given you and not delegate this responsibility to someone else.

These days, it’s almost as if married couples are competing with each other to see who earns the most money. So, while men work, women also work, leaving children without proper care. Fathers and mothers must be available to raise the children that God has entrusted to them. Psalm 127:3 says that children are God’s heritage; in other words, when you leave this world, what God expects you to leave him is the children he entrusted to your care, and this is not limited to your biological children. Parents are only stewards, and if they damage what has been placed under their care, they will pay dearly.

There were times when I wanted to play football with my friends when I was a little boy, but thankfully, my mother was always at home busy sending me back inside to study. I thought she was mean, but she built in me the ability to ignore distractions and focus on my goals. The fear of my father’s punishments also kept me on the right path in my childhood. My older brother was really tough, but the day I saw him cry when my father disciplined him, I decided never to do anything that could lead my father to discipline me in that way.

Some children develop bad habits under their parents’ roof. However, parents only discover this many years later, and by that time, only the grace of God could bring about change. If you are a parent, do not be too busy to educate the children God has given you. When you leave this world, the cars you drive and the houses you have bought will be of no importance; what will matter is the children you have left behind. There is an African proverb that says:

“If you refuse to build your child because you are building a house, the child you have not built will sell the house you have built.”

As a parent, the children God has given you should be your priority, not material possessions.

This text is an excerpt from the book “The Open Heavens: A Daily Guide to Intimate Communion with God 2024” written by the Pastor Enoch Adedjare ADEBOYE.

We invite you to read the following article 2 to better understand why you must “Spend Time With Children 2.“