The piece of legislation recently introduced and passed by elected representatives in Florida, and sent to the governor for signing into law, has stirred up a good bit of controversy. The bill clearly provides common sense parameters for “Parental Rights in Education.” It is only seven pages long! The full bill can be accessed and read in minutes at: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/1557 

Who do you trust? The loudest group? The most visible and disruptive group? Do you trust the legislative bodies made up of folks that were duly elected to represent you? I like President Ronald Reagan’s philosophy as he invested in national defense. He clearly stated that there was good and evil in the world, that peace through strength was the way to lead on the world stage. When it came to agreements with other nations, the philosophy was, “Trust but verify.” 

… stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:11-12. “Stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” – Evil is alive and well in our world. God’s word is simple. It is described as the “sword of the Spirit” (Eph.6:17), to be drawn and to cut through the devil’s schemes. Why do you think there is more noise around a seven-page bill introduced by a state legislature than bills, several of them, made up of thousands of pages passed by Congress? It may be because the Florida legislation is simple and cuts through the devil’s scheme to devalue parents. There are a number of struggles working to knock this great nation off its foundation. The charge is for men and women, dads and moms to stand on the foundation of a personal relationship with the Lord and live under the absolute truth of the word of God. We are to trust those elected to school boards and other local, state and national offices, but we are also to stay engaged and verify decisions being made.

One blessing of the ‘Covid time’ that sent kids home from school is that parents necessarily had to engage in their children’s education. For many it proved to be a reengagement that was eye-opening. The challenge is that once one lets go of the reigns of a horse, it is hard to grab hold of them again. The legislators in Florida are working to give the reigns back to the parents. I pray all dads and moms will step up in the responsibility to be engaged in all dimensions of investing well in the next generation. The charge in God’s word is to raise “godly offspring” (Malachi 2:15).

Prayer guide: Father, thank You for Your word and the grounding it provides for the struggles we face in this world. I confess that I have trusted elected officials and the media somewhat blindly as I operated in the busy-ness of getting ahead in this world. Forgive me. I commit to read Your word daily and to navigate through day-to-day struggles with a biblical worldview. I accept responsibility for allowing worldly agendas into my home and into my kids’ schools. Equip me well in the full armor of You to identify and stand firm against the devil’s schemes at work to devalue family. Help me glorify You and be a Kingdom influence in this world. That is the dad You call men to be and that’s the dad kids across this nation need to see. Amen.

A faithful father stands firm in the Lord as he trusts and verifies others.