Bad Produce

Genesis 3
How many times have you told him not to? And how many times did he do it anyway?

I don't give my son enough credit sometimes. My expectations of him can often be too low, but I've learned of late to raise my standards for him.

God, in his infinite wisdom, left room for choice within his created universe. But the choice did not come without warning. Here he tells Adam once to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). One time he told him. Do you think it stuck? Did Adam get the point?

You bet he did and Eve, who we can assume knew of God's command through Adam, took it a step further and said that they were told not even to touch the tree (v 3). They heard God and they knew what he meant. But the temptation was too great.

As some point we will all let our children loose. They will hold fast to their chosen mate as God instructed (Gen 2:24). Our job is to prepare them for the freedom their future holds. They must understand the choices before them and realize the consequences, good or bad, of each decision.

The temptation is to shelter our kids from the evil of the world. But notice God does not hide this forbidden tree from man. It's in the garden. It's in their backyard! Rather, he educates them about the tree, offers his trust and leaves them alone.

This will be something difficult to wrestle with as my son grows older. Temptation is all around us. In our culture we find knew ways of sinning everyday. What do I allow him to be exposed to, what do I simply tell him about without showing him, and from what do I shelter him completely?

Tell me...
How do you tell your kids about the sinful things of the world?
What do you prepare them for and what do you allow them to experience on their own?
How will you know when they are ready?