QUESTION: WHY ARE THERE SO MANY GRANDPARENTS RAISING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN? WHAT CAUSED THIS?

ANSWER: PASTOR SCOTT

God has designed the family to be the primary learning community  and has given parents the responsibility of being his representatives in teaching and instructing children in the home (Deut 6:4-9).

Children will receive information from inside and outside the home and will interpret that information according to their worldview. Because we all have a sinful nature, the interpretations are not naturally from a Biblical or Godly worldview. This is why parents must be involved in forming a Biblical/Godly worldview in their children. In Judges 2:6-15 we have recorded a result of parenting not taken seriously – an entire generation that did not know God.

The responsibility of parenting is serious, takes a lot of time, and is often frustrating because of a fallen world. If we think our children are born innocent, we have believed Satan’s lie. The truth is, we are all born sinful and no child has to be taught how to act sinfully. We should thank Jesus when we have to sacrifice and deal with children on the same issue over and over, because that means we are parenting.

Too often, parents want children who don’t need to be parented. We have our own schedules to keep, own difficulties to handle, and a society that tells us we deserve to have “things” and a focus on us. This has been an extremely effective strategy used by Satan to erode the foundation of what God intends to be the primary learning source of who He is.

Satan has not only attacked the responsibility of parenting he has attacked marriage itself and with great success. When marriage becomes a contract that can be broken rather than a covenant, there is a direct correlation on a commitment to parenting.

Our culture has become one of self worship and convenience and if parenting children gets in the way, we want someone else to parent our children. Grandparents are being used to fill that role.