There is an old story of a king and his clown or "jester" who sometimes said very foolish things. One day the jester had said something so foolish that the king, handing him a staff, said to him, "Take this and keep it till you find a bigger fool than yourself."
Some years later the king lay on his death bed. His courtiers were called; His family and his servants also stood round his bedside. The king addressing them said, "I am about to leave you. I am going on a very long journey, and I shall not return again to this place; so I have called all of you to say goodbye."
Then his jester stepped forward, addressed the king and said, "Your Majesty, may I ask you a question? When you have journeyed abroad visiting your people or paying diplomatic visits to other courts, your heralds and your servants have always gone before you, making preparations for you. May I ask what preparations your Majesty has made for this long journey that he is about to take?
"Alas," replied the king, "I have made no preparations", "Then", said the jester, "take this staff with you, for now I have found a bigger fool than myself."
Some parents say, "We will not influence our children in making choices and decisions in matters of religion, personal preference, friendships, hobbies, careers and relationships." But why not?
The ads will!
The press will!
The movies will!
The neighbors will!
The forces of sin will!
The politicians will!
Everday, we hesitate not to use our influence over flowers, vegetables, cattle, etc. Shall we ignore our own children? May God forgive us if we do.
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