“Daddy, what happened?” My 7-year-old son Connor asked as his eyes focused on the news coverage of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. I sat in silence searching for answers myself.
ClampThe entire world seemed to stand still as the news of the shootings hit the airways. The one place that seemed to be a safe haven for children was invaded. Every parent grieved with the 20 parents of the fallen children.
Our minds were full of questions. What happened? Why? Then the questions began to shift to conversations of “How?” How can we prevent this from happening again? How can we eliminate senseless killing? How can we fight against evil?
Some suggest tighter security. Others suggest government regulations. I suggest evangelism and discipleship, because Jesus is the only answer. The enemy targeted our children. We must be just as diligent in our focus on them. They are precious to Jesus. He was irate when his disciples tried to keep them from Him. Today, we are in danger of raising a generation that does not know God.
If we want our children to trust God through prayer, let us not wait for a tragedy to pray with them. If we want our children to know the Scripture, let us not rely on one lesson a week on Sunday. If we want them to reach out to those who need Jesus, let them hear us share our faith with others and watch us as we serve them.
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
If we rely on the programs of the church to train our children, at best they will receive two hours of instruction a week. The primary responsibility of discipleship of our children rests on parents. On our church campuses, we may need to shift our children’s ministries to equip parents and hold them accountable to disciple their children and train them to teach their children how to pray, how to apply God’s Word, and how to share their faith. Off the campus, we need to adopt our schools and begin asking the question, “How can we serve you?”
We will be held accountable for the next generation. As we look ahead to 2013, let us embody the same type of heroic behavior that the teachers and administration of Sandy Hook Elementary School did as they laid down their lives for the children.
– Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow Lee on twitter @leeclamp or on his blog at www.leeclamp.com.