Those Whom God Has Given Us

There is much –quoted phrase from Scripture about being our brother’s keeper. But if it is important to be our brother’s keeper, which we cannot doubt, how very important it must be to be our children’s keeper—the keeper of our families, our loved ones.

Indeed, it would be difficult to deny that responsibility for our children is one of the greatest responsibilities God has given us. And while there may be much that parents cannot do for their children as well as others can, there is also much that others cannot do as effectively as parents.

Parents cannot be prepared to prescribe for children in some ailments and illnesses; parents may not be able to teach their children many technical subjects, or train them in the development of some of their talents. Yet there is a special calling, a special responsibility that God has given parents in relation to their children. And as parents approach it prayerfully and sincerely, with the love of their whole hearts, it is a calling that carries with it a kind of intuition, inspiration, understanding, and insight—with a certain common sense and dedicated sincerity—for which there is no fully satisfaction substitute.

Of course children are trying and confining at times. But what better task can one be tied to than the nurturing and teaching and training of children, and helping to build qualities of character? What more far-reaching task could one spend time on?

The apron string should not be too tightly tied; nor yet left loose, to the point of irresponsibility or of wishing the children on others. Others can do much for which we may be grateful—agencies, institutions, schools, teachers, friends. But no individual or organization, can rightly take place of competent, responsible parents. And no basic responsibility can supersede that of parents, nor is it something lightly to be set aside—for it was intended that parents and children should belong to each other, everlastingly. And being our children’s keeper as well as our brother’s keeper is one of the blessings and obligations and rewarding and rewarding privileges that God has given.