Do Not Exasperate Children

Three parents attempted to pick up their children after church yesterday without a security code sticker: it was either lost, misplaced, forgotten, or, most likely, simply dropped on the floor and lying abandoned somewhere in the church.

When a parent shows up without a security code sticker, we are unable to match the code number of the parent's sticker to the code number on the children's stickers. So what do we do in this circumstance? Do we withhold their children and call the police? Do we tell them go back, search the whole church until they find their sticker? Or do we say, "Don't worry about it. If you won't tell, I won't either." I opted for the last one. After all, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to determine whether the children belong to their parents when you see the smiles on the children's faces. I haven't been fired yet, but I'm expecting to.

As I saw the sticker-less parents start to get agitated and angry when we hesitated to let them have their children, this verse came to mind. (I added the words in parentheses to apply.)

"Fathers, (or church people,)
do not exasperate your children, (or the children and their parents); 

instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

Churches need to be very careful that they don't become legalistic in allowing rules to become more important than people, and thus lose their sensitivity in allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct.