Friday; September 15

I am not going to ask you how many U. S. Supreme Court Justices you could name – nor will I ask if you know the name of the Chief Justice; but let’s just say that if the name John Roberts comes to mind, you are probably more well versed than a lot of people. The other day I was reading quotes from some of the justices and I came across one from him that I thought was quite enlightening, "If children do not understand the Constitution, they cannot understand how our government functions, or what their rights and responsibilities are as citizens of the United States." There probably weren’t a lot of us who got excited about our civics classes, but in retrospect we might have been better off with an extra civics section and one less elective.

As I read Justice Roberts comments I got to thinking about another educational opportunity too many of us overlook. The wise man of Proverbs encouraged the society of his day, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). While the primary application of this passage rests with parents, I think all of us could benefit from this admonition. We all need to be encouraging children to learn what they need to be doing – not just their rights, but their responsibilities as well. When we train them, not in how to get away with things, but how to do what they are supposed to do, their lives will be better and so will the lives of their children and the generations that follow them.

Think About It!

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