The man and the woman considered what to name their two new kittens, but considering the shortness of the little creatures’ life expectancy, they decided to postpone the naming. It was the kittens’ utter lack of fear that so endangered their lives; they had no qualms about automobiles, and they did not comprehend the dangers of crawling into the undercarriage of any vehicle.  

Of course the man and the woman took every precaution they could think of to protect the kittens from their own lack of discernment, yet they knew that unless the kittens learned a proper respect for cars, they would not survive long in an environment where cars come and go.  

Our communities have people of all ages, from infants to the elderly. The gray-haired men don’t know everything, but the longer one lives, the more one knows— if he keeps his eyes and ears open. Youth know a lot too, but unlike the aged, a youth’s conclusions have not yet been tested by time. Sometimes an older person sees a young person engaged in an activity that the older one knows from firsthand experience will cause heartache and perhaps even spiritual death.  

In a world where adventure beckons and Satan lurks, we take every precaution we can think of to protect our youth. Yet we understand that unless our youth embrace God’s truth, grow in wisdom, and develop their own discernment, they will not survive long in an environment where temptations come and go.  

How do you teach a kitten about cars? How do you fortify your son or daughter to stand in the hour of temptation? Both questions are difficult, but Psalm 119:11 has the answer for the question that really matters. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” 

“There’s danger ahead!” the watchman said, 
And those with no dread are long since dead. 

From Paws on My Porch, by Gary Miller
© 2015 TGS International, PO Box 355, Berlin, Ohio 44610
Used by permission