One teacher described "parental estrangement" as an epidemic in our time. There is a new term now, "elder abandonment" to describe senior citizens who are neglected by their own children, ignored, and even completely abandoned by selfish children.
Notice that this epidemic is in direct proportions to the level of teaching of self-esteem over the past 50 years. 50 years ago we didn't talk back to our parents even if we didn't agree with them. If they were mean we took it and did not retaliate because they were our parents. We loved them no matter how they acted toward us, even blessing them in spite of the treatment.
When our parents disciplined us we learned from it and restrained and changed our behaviors that were not acceptable. In our day now the slightest chastisement or training is treated with such contempt that the parent is cut off from their adult children and their grandchildren.
The in-law children have been treated so special by their parents that they reject any instruction at all from their in-laws, not just rejecting the instruction but treating the in-law parents with contempt, turning the natural child away from their own parents.
Our culture has trained the children to think only of themselves leading to the fulfillment of the 2 Timothy 3 prophecy that describes the angst and selfishness present in our culture today. When we know this is prophesied and due to the cultural bent toward pure evil we do not have to blame ourselves for what is happening. Remember the devil is good at blaming us for things he is doing and we are not. We see this in personal relationships too by those who only love themselves.
There is no perfect parent just as there is no perfect child, we are to love one another because God called us to love imperfect people. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Those who love others do not hold imperfection against anyone. We care deeply about the person even when they do not reach a standard we think they should have.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
PerilousTimes (ragingly insane) Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, [a]haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
Correction is the new "hate speech", even the slightest disagreement is met with rage and hatred by many if not most people.
This culture flies by the seat of its emotions rather than thinking rationally and reasonably to discern the truth that might bring wisdom. Few people want to grow better, most are content to be whatever they want to be doing whatever is right in their own eyes without regard to God's principles and truths.
When wisdom is rejected in favor of emotion, relationships are destroyed with an unlikely possibility of reconciliation.
The devil played upon the emotions of Eve in the garden to get her to distrust God and go her own way. Rather than seeking God for her direction she just believed the devil and went with her own desire to be like a god. This is what we are dealing with in child-rearing today, except in recent years, on steroids.
Matthew 10:20-22 "…20 For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.…"
I remember back in the 1970s when Christians argued with me to defend self-esteem. They came against corporal discipline even though God told us to use the rod.
Because those who wanted to obey the Word did what God taught, they were seen as the mean irrational parents in the community. Even their own children compared them with other parents who didn't teach and discipline, learning to despise their own parents for not being like the rest of the culture.
Often Bible-believing parents who actually practiced God's ways were mocked and shunned for their resolve to obey God. This taught the children of the godly parents to compare them with the other parents and reject their own parents along with the culture.
This ought to bring comfort to us knowing even with our warts and flaws we did the best we could attempting to love our children God's way.
It is not surprising that these attitudes are increasing when we know we are in the last of the last days. Things are growing worse as we approach the time when the church will be taken out. These are the days just like the days of Noah in which the general populous of the earth will not understand truth and do not want to understand.
May we draw comfort from knowing these things and moving on to serve the Lord without those who do not want Him, we have great joy at what we know is coming.
Philippians 3:14 “14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
When others don’t love us we know there is One Who does, even dying for us He will never abandon us!!!
Hebrews 13:5 “5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
It is possible to be hated by all family members, move on from them and live a joyful fulfilled life without them. We can pray for them if we choose, but there is no shame in choosing a better life with those who know God’s love and walk with Him. Hallelujah!!!
