Ephesians 6:4 English Standard Version (ESV) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

We are not all raised up by fathers and mothers who worship God. What we learn as children is what we see in the behaviors of our parents and older siblings.

Blessed be the children of God fearing parents.

That is not one of the Beatitudes but maybe it should be.

I discovered that the language of my father was not acceptable in school. I got taken to the cloakroom for a proper scolding. I did not find any correction for my foul mouth at home.

Thankfully there was a model of Christianity that lived down the street. I spent more time with that family than I did my own. They took me to church every Sunday and Baptist Youth Fellowship on Wednesdays. I wanted to be a part of that family so much I dated all three of their daughters.

This is the grace of God in the life of the wayward. He finds the faithful to model His abundant love. It was the love that attracted me to them and finally to the source, Christ in them.

When on leave from the Army I would visit them faithfully. They always made a point of praying with me. No visit happened without a hug and a prayer. Over the years I discovered that hundreds of children like myself called them Mom and Dad Williams. 

Children need consistency and stability and if they cannot find it at home they will seek it elsewhere. If not with a Christian family then perhaps with a street gang.

Consistency and stability are God traits. They are character traits of the faithful who have built a life in the Kingdom of God.

Consistency and stability can be modeled by users and abusers. A child that is not loved will seek that out wherever they can find it.

While I found that in the Army I did not find the love I had in Mom and Dad Williams.

Nothing is as attractive as the love of God.