Protect Your Children

Proverbs 22:6 

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

My mom had a rule for us in regards to how we dressed up for Halloween. She said nothing with blood and nothing dead. I usually dressed up as a Disney character or an angel. My brother as he got older always made himself The Crow from the movie. I think he was meant to be a vampire. He did all the make up. 

My brother was very gothic for a while. It is amazing my mom let him. But who can control teen boys? Especially since she was a single mom, I'm sure that was difficult. He wore all black for a long time. He shaved his eyebrows I think just to get attention. He clipped his nails, so they were pointy. He even tried filing his teeth in fangs. 

I remember he had candles in his room. He would stay in there a lot listening to Marilyn Manson and ICP. No wonder he ended up in a mental hospital. My mom had him committed after he turned 18. She thought he was suicidal. I think she could have stopped all the silliness that he was doing, but she lost control over him. He was just trying to get her attention, but she was depressed and checked out for a long time after our parents divorced. 

If you want your children to grow up loving God, keep a tight reign on them. I'm not saying it's easy, but try. Don't just let them wear whatever or listen to any music or do just anything. Try to maintain control of them. Don't let them go toward the darkness. It can get very sad. 

The happy ending of that story though is that my brother now calls himself a Christian. I'm not sure if he is one 100% but he thinks he is, so that is progress. He just bought a house. He has a good career as an electrician now. He has a son who is 22 now. Wow....

Just because your child seems lost for a season, that doesn't mean they always will be lost. I think my writing and friendship over the years has helped my brother to recover from his being on the dark side for a while. I remember the first time I got him to wear a white sweater instead of a black shirt. I was so happy about it. Pray for him to be fully saved please. I am still praying for him to progress more in his faith. 

My mom raised us in church, so I know he will go back to his roots fully at some point. May God help him to remember who he can be if he wants to. I really hope he makes it to heaven someday.