CHILDREN

THE ABC’S OF MONEY

LEARNING TO HANDLE MONEY one step at a time is part of a child’s education, a part that parents cannot leave to teachers but must direct themselves.

Spending experiences are found in the outside world rather than in the classroom. Bev and I met the Hitchcock family at the park for a picnic. As we watched their children play, Jean expressed a concern: “Allen and I were not trained by our parents to handle money responsibly, and I’m afraid we’re not doing a much better job. Our children just don’t understand the value of money. What should we do?”

This is a question all parents need to answer. In 1904 the country of Wales experienced a remarkable revival. Thousands of people were introduced to Christ, and the results were dramatic. Bars closed because of a lack of business. Policemen exchanged their weapons for white gloves as crime disappeared. Horses did not understand their drivers because profanities were no longer uttered. Wales sent missionaries all over the world.

Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. PROVERBS 22:6 One of those missionaries travelled to Argentina, where on the streets, he led a young boy to Christ. The boy’s name was Luis Palau. He has since become known as the “Billy Graham” of Latin America. Out of gratitude for this Welsh missionary, Palau travelled to Wales during the early 1970s to express his thankfulness to that nation for helping lead him to Christ. What he discovered was astonishing. Less than one half of one percent of the Welsh attended church.

Divorce was at an all-time high, and the crime rate was escalating rapidly. Many churches had closed and been converted to bars, and rugby had replaced Christianity as the national religion. As a result of this experience, Palau produced a film entitled God Has No Grandchildren. The thrust of the film is that each generation is responsible for passing on the faith to the next. In Wales, despite tremendous spiritual vitality, the impact of Christianity had all but disappeared in 70 years.

Parents had failed to pass their faith on to their children. Each generation is responsible for passing on to its children the gospel and the truths of Scripture, including God’s financial principles. Answer this question: When you left home, how well prepared were you to make financial decisions? Parents and teachers spend 18 to 22 years preparing youth for occupations but generally less than a few hours teaching children the value and use of the money they will earn during their careers.