I was going through some old material the other day and found the following “letter.” I do not know if it is an actual letter written by a little boy named Billy or if somebody composed it in order to make a point.
Whichever of those two possibilities is the case, it does, indeed, make a point. In fact, the letter makes several points.
All of those points, it seems to me, could fall under a general heading that would suggest that parents need to take very seriously their God-given responsibility to “…bring (their children) up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).
It should not be overlooked that this same verse makes that task the primary responsi- bility of the fathers. Sorry, dad; God does not view your task as being limited to that of the breadwinner. He gives you the responsibility of starting the journey of the souls of your children toward heaven.
It is my prayer that every parent will read and give serious consideration to the thoughts expressed in “Billy’s Letter to God.”
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Dear God,
I’m a little boy, just eight years old. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I’m worried. Maybe you can help me with some things I don’t understand. Of course, you know that I’ve been going to Bible study for a long time, and I’ve learned to love you and the Bible, and I love my teacher for all she has taught me about you and Jesus.
It’s about Mom and Dad that I have been wondering, I love them both with all my heart, and they love me, I know. And more than anything, I want to know that they are going to heaven when they die. They want me to go, for they have told me so. They send me to Bible study every Sunday morning and then they come later to church. But why don’t Mom and Dad go to Bible study too? And Sunday night, when Johnny and Mary and their mom and dad go to church, my mom and dad either stay at home, go to the movies, or visit friends. Is this all right, God?
Another thing, in Bible school I have learned how important it is to pray and thank you for our food and everything, but you know I have never heard my dad pray. Is this all right, God?
I guess I’m just kind of mixed up ‘cause I think Mom and Dad and my teacher are the best in the world. I want to be just like them when I grow up, and I just want to be sure they are doing the right things so that we can live with you someday.
In Jesus’ name,
Your friend, Billy Jim Faughn