Cause and Effect...

My daughter Anna is doing a lengthy report about Anne Frank. Today we actually found the movie, rented it and watched it with Natalie. Of course both girls asked me several times throughout the movie "Did this really happen...Is this a true story?" I paused the movie several times to answer their questions as best that I could. Tonight I walk away from this story about a young girl growing up, and her death, and I am so very very sad. How could this happen in the world? Even today, in our world, you don't have to look very far to see prejudice, intolerance and injustice. Friend against friend, brother against sister. How can I teach my children about tolerance, and justice when I have these issues within my very own family? How do I explain that to MY children? Anne Frank wrote: "Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart." Maybe I am wearing rose colored glasses, but I believe this too. We teach our children to know the difference between right and wrong. We teach them to do the 'right' thing. Eventually the choice is ours. But the consequence is this, we ALL have to live with OUR choices. How and what do you want your children to learn? Then ask yourself, 'What would Jesus do? Simple as that! Cause and effect. One day your children and my children will grow up and be the effect of our cause. I pray that they know right from wrong. I pray that they will have influences in their lives that teach them to make the right choices. That they will think about the effects of their cause. The reactions to their actions...As I have learned in my life, these influences do not have to be positive, for the child, to learn and know how to make the right choices. Think about that!