Foggy Roads

by Kelly Knowlden

Have you ever driven in the fog - a fog that was so thick that you could not see 30 feet in front of you? What did it feel like? If you are like me, there is a scary feeling in the pit of stomach because you think of all the what-ifs that seem to be very intense. “I cannot see the yellow line...What if I drive off the road into a ditch... What if I overtake another car and have an accident because I cannot see them...?”

That is what it is like for children who grow up without the boundaries of a “yellow line” of submission to parental direction. Here I am talking about more than just the “do what I say, because I said it—NOW!” Children need the guidance that parental direction gives, but they need to be taught to accept that direction as well. Here I am talking about teaching our children the intent of obedience which is submission to authority. The definition of submission is to humbly accept another’s will or direction. The longer children live without that understanding of obedience as a submission to authority, the more the child will think of his autonomy as “normal.” He will come to “like” that feeling of scared excitement of being in the fog...


So, how do you have a child “feel” loved if he has not understood the issues of submission? It is not too late to talk to him about that. Here are some things you will want to ensure that your child understands in those “non-discipline” moments of reading God’s Word together.

1. Authority is established by God. It is not your idea. You are simply a “vice-regent” that is, working under the laws that God has ordained to run the universe.
2. Submission to authority rules out debate and talking back. Questions, respectfully asked with a willingness to do what is asked, regardless if they make sense, are acceptable. Children need to be taught “how” to ask these kinds of questions.
3. God has placed those in authority over us for our good. Even when the authority makes errors in judgment or is wrong, God can be trusted in what He has given.

There are many more aspects of this that need to be ferreted out and understood, but the goal is to teach our children how to interpret the world. They will “feel” loved by our providing “yellow lines.”