Several news organizations reported a tragic story from Russia this past week. A mother was pushing her 18-month-old child along in a stroller when the sidewalk collapsed beneath them. Apparently, an underground pipe had ruptured and the resulting damage had caused the cave-in. Onlookers managed to rescue the mother but not the child. The youngster fell into an exposed section of the sewer system and was carried away by the rapidly flowing stream of raw sewage. Rescue attempts proved to be futile and the child was presumed to be dead.
My heart goes out to the family involved in this horrific tragedy. It’s hard to even imagine the grief they must be feeling. In the blink of an eye, their lives have been changed forever. Like most parents, this couple had probably done their best to keep this child safe. But how do you protect against freak accidents like this? Through no fault of their own, the precious life of their child was taken, choked out by a river of sewage.
Reading about this accident prompted me to also think about the precious children in our world today who are being exposed daily to the emotional and mental sewage present in the dark corners of our culture. In most cases, unlike the story above, this is no accident. It can happen because the parents are indifferent, not being attentive to what their children see, hear, or participate in. Incredibly, it also happens with parental approval, when mom and dad live immoral lives and encourage ungodly behavior in their own children. Either way, innocent young lives are being sucked into the sewers that lead to the cesspools of sin.
As parents (and grandparents and concerned Christians), we need to be vigilant regarding the danger that some parts of our culture present to our children. Sadly, not everyone out there has their best interests at heart. These young souls need a loving and persistent hand to keep them away from the gutter that drains into the sewer. They may not know better, but we should.
God loves you!
Mike
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