Now all of that brings us to a point about a real endangered species that I am sure is not on the list. What is it? Parents! That's right - parents! Let me explain. I am not talking about biological fathers and mothers. We all realize that it doesn't take much to conceive a child. It does take a lot to be parents. Another thing - this species always comes in a pair! It is parents - not parent - that are endangered today. Here is what parents are - a man and a woman committed to each other and mutually committed to any children they bring into this world. This what Paul speaks of in Colossians 3:20, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord."
Now on that other list of endangered species, there are a number of factors that contribute to the diminishing of the species on the list. It may be such things as pesticides, destruction of habitat, etc. With parents there are a number of factors that contribute to their diminishing number also. The most obvious is that there is a decreasing number of the pairs and a corresponding increasing number of the single. This is due to the ease in which folks obtain divorce over the most trifling of matters. Just think of it - if folks used the only Biblical reason for divorce (Matt. 19:9, "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery"), parents would begin to show progress in getting off the endangered list. A lot of this just boils down to good old fashioned commitment (Eph. 5:31, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"). This is something that is supposed to be thought of beforehand. If done in that manner, the pair can endure. A few years ago there was a semi-popular book titled "It Takes A Village" that told how to raise a child. According to the book, it takes a whole flock of folks to do this. Hmmmmm, it seems to me that for years we all got by with parents doing it. Of course, with fewer pairs, others have entered the picture. Well, where is the success? It seems that the "village approach" has only muddied things up.
Another thing that contributes to parents being endangered is also in the commitment area - commitment to the child(ren). The Bible speaks of children being a precious commodity (Psa. 127:3, "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward"). There is to be a concentrated effort to raise them in the right way (Eph. 6:4, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord"). This is the duty of parents to their children, it is not the duty of someone else. Unfortunately, parents such as this are endangered. Children today are viewed today as though they were pets or, perish the thought, some inconvenience. A man and a woman may have great commitment to their job, working long hours, and being very diligent to be the best at what they do. Yet, they simply will not do the same when it comes to their child(ren). Obviously, this is wrong headed and while it might bring great applause from an employer, it will only prove to be, in the long run, a woeful failure for the child(ren).
Well, I have written enough. You get the picture. Let me state it again in closing. For parents to stay off the endangered list, they need to be committed to each other and mutually committed to any children they bring into this world. And that doesn't take a village.
---Terry Sanders