Unfortunately, children don’t come with an owner’s manual.   There is no step by step process to raising a child, nor are there scenarios with different solutions that can be customized to your needs when raising your child.   I suppose that’s a good thing since life isn’t black and white, it’s multicolored and no book written can really offer up solutions or how-to’s for everything our children will encounter.   I still wish; however, that I could find one to at least guide me. 

Yesterday I encountered some things in the world that alarmed me, things that I suppose I’m a bit naive about or perhaps I’ve had my head stuck in the sand.   

There’s a lot of hatred in the world, a lot of animosity towards each other and the desire to conform with the status quo, while it may be the easiest thing, isn’t always the right thing.   At what point is it alright to buck the system, so to say?   Is there a limit to be reached?   Should I tell my son to stand strong in his convictions even in the face of threats?   I don’t really know.  

I’ve turned my back on my Lord in the past.   I believed that He never cared for me.   I resented Him for the pain of taking away my brother and all I could think about was me, me, me and what I thought I wanted and needed.   I have since come to accept the Lord back into my life and it has become by far the greatest thing to ever happen to me.  

I have a new sense of happiness, of fulfillment, of love and understanding and compassion.   I don’t fear for myself any repercussions for standing strong and firm in my beliefs and shouting them from the rooftops.   What I do fear is my son suffering because I’ve encouraged him to stand strong.    I fear the day when my son turns his back on God.   I fear the day when he NEVER turns his back on God, but instead stands strongly on the front lines as one of God’s many soldiers.   I fear this because of the world today.

At what point do I tell my son that he needs to stand strong and at what point do I tell him to back down?   Do I even tell him to back down from his beliefs?  

I want to teach him by example.   I want him to see how strong his father and I are and how strong he can be.   I just worry that it may hurt him and he may suffer.  

My daddy once told me that he was so glad I was born a girl, because he was afraid my beliefs and convictions and my opinions and ability to head butt the status quo would have gotten me hurt in my life.   While it hasn’t physically, it has emotionally.  I want to protect my son from this, but also instill in him strong values and beliefs.   How do I do that?   How do I protect him from everything that he faces in the world?   How do I arm him so that he can defend himself from zealots?   How do I begin to raise my son?