| For some children, who are part of a family where | | | | in God, is it fair to deny our children this opportunity? |
| God plays an important role, theyalready have the | | | | Encourage them to believe in God and that He is |
| advantage of knowing about Him. For other children, | | | | there whenever they need Him. There is no need to |
| where God is entirely absent from family life, they | | | | go into long explanations about God, or to teach fear |
| won't know about Him. And still for others, whose | | | | of God. Just assure them that there is a Great Being |
| family members are lukewarm about any type of | | | | who is keeping watch over them as they start their |
| spiritual presence, the children really don't know | | | | lives. That is enough for now. When they are older, |
| whether God exists or doesn't exist. | | | | they can learn more and start making choices. Why |
| As adults, we can either do something about this, or | | | | not let them get on the 'cruise ship' and know that a |
| ignore it. The choice is that simple. | | | | 'captain' is looking after them? They do not need to |
| I was on a cruise recently on which I had a fabulous | | | | know His name or what their parents feel about Him, |
| time. On the last day, I was sitting in the lounge | | | | or what anybody else believes. But they do need to |
| thinking about the cruise, and my thoughts turned to | | | | know that when they emerge from the love and |
| three adventure books I had written about children | | | | protection of their parents- especially during the |
| getting to know God. The books are about three | | | | school years--there is someone else who is there for |
| teenagers who fall head-long into exciting adventures. | | | | them and who will keep the ship on course. |
| An ostrich, a tiger and a bald eagle, accompany the | | | | For most children, it is too much for them to |
| children as guardians. These animals are far from | | | | understand the depths of mature religious belief. The |
| ordinary. They are angels, who cause mayhem, | | | | subjects of beliefs, religion and children cross paths |
| disbelief and chaos as they stay firmly by Kate, | | | | from time to time, but the focus of young people is |
| James and Amanda. What a wonderful analogy, I | | | | more on growing up and coping with what lies before |
| thought--those children and this cruise. Let me explain. | | | | them. While exploring the theories of spirituality and |
| Throughout the books, it is suggested, very subtly, | | | | life about them, children will eventually accept or |
| how much a young person can benefit from believing | | | | reject what they have encountered. But, in order to |
| in God, who is always there for them although they | | | | make these decisions, children must be exposed to |
| can never see Him. | | | | the facts. To encourage them initially in a simple belief |
| Cruise travel has moved on since I was last at sea, | | | | is key to their eventual choices of the right way to |
| but what has not moved on is the reliance and trust | | | | live, |
| we place in the captain of the ship. Our complete | | | | The captain, crew and passengers of a ship have to |
| past, present and future is in the hands of the ship's | | | | depend on discipline to ensure a good passage. In |
| captain. We believe that everything will be just fine, | | | | Hell's Gate Trilogy, when Kate, James and Amanda |
| in spite of the remote possibility of serious | | | | realize that Someone is watching over them, they |
| problems--especially in bad weather when there is | | | | also learn that there is a small thing called discipline |
| very limited control - even for the captain of the ship. | | | | needed to realize the benefits of a relationship with |
| This trust has developed because there has been | | | | God. |
| little evidence of major sea disasters involving large | | | | In turn this will introduce young people to the |
| passenger ships, except in the most extreme | | | | discipline required to make progress in their own lives, |
| circumstances. This is largely due to incredibly | | | | whether we acknowledge a Greater Being or not. |
| advanced technology. We therefore board the ship | | | | Too often we don't have this discipline and we do |
| with the confidence and assurance that the journey | | | | what we want to do--not what we are supposed to |
| will go according to plan. The captain will steer the | | | | do, or what we have been taught to do, or what we |
| ship; he will ensure that every need or want of the | | | | have learned to do. On board ship this would be a |
| passengers is met by the crew. | | | | recipe for disaster. How far are we going to progress |
| For the captain of the ship, the buck stops with him. | | | | in a career or in life without the will to get things |
| His ship, crew and passengers are his responsibility. | | | | done and the discipline to do them? Encouraging our |
| No matter what anyone else is doing, he, or his | | | | children to think about God, will give them a head |
| designate, will be at the helm 24/7. The position of | | | | start. We must ask ourselves why we would not |
| captain of a ship and the response of the passengers | | | | give a child the knowledge of God, when we are only |
| to the rules and regulations in force, is called discipline. | | | | too willing to give the child everything else? |
| If passengers do not obey the regulations, they | | | | Is it because we are set in our own ways and |
| could possibly become a hazard to the safety of the | | | | ideologies in general, and find it hard to be liberal |
| ship. All of this we accept without question when we | | | | towards our children in the area of religious or spiritual |
| book a cruise. During the voyage, we can then be | | | | beliefs? Why can't we give them this small |
| complacent, forgetting about everything but enjoying | | | | confidence of belief? |
| ourselves. | | | | To conclude on an interesting and positive note, |
| Given the above scenario why do we, as human | | | | according to new research at the University of British |
| beings, have so much trouble trusting in God? We go | | | | Columbia in Canada, if people are made aware of |
| on a cruise, or board a plane, and we put our implicit | | | | words like God, spirit, divine or prophet, they are |
| trust in the captain of the ship or the plane. If we | | | | inclined to be kinder and more generous. |
| are unable, or unwilling, to equate this trust with trust | | | | What more could we ask for our children? |