And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

A dog once wandered to a preacher’s home, and his three sons played with it, fed it, and soon became quite fond of it. It so happened that the dog had three white hairs in its tail. One day, the preacher and his sons spotted an advertisement in the city newspaper about a lost dog. The description of the stray they had taken in matched perfectly.

The minister later said, “In the presence of my three sons, we carefully separated the three white hairs and removed them from the dog’s tail.”

The real owner of the dog eventually discovered where his stray pooch had gone and he came to claim the dog. The dog showed every sign of recognizing his owner, so the man was ready to take him away. At that point, the minister spoke up and asked, “Didn’t you say that the dog would be known by the three white hairs in its tail?” The owner, unable to find the identifying feature, was forced to admit that this dog didn’t fully fit the description of his lost dog and left.

Years passed and the minister noted with sadness, “We kept the dog, but I lost my three sons for Christ that day.” His sons no longer had confidence in what their father professed to be true.

Remember, your children watch the choices you make in all areas of your life and base their opinion of you on them. Be a person of integrity-one they will admire.

Just and loving God, guide us in the decisions we make so that no one will be stumbled by our walk and fail to see You in our being!