Your children were designed by God for honor and glory. They were designed for a rich, full, satisfying relationship with God. They were designed for purity and significance. They were to designed to serve and not to be served. They were designed to delight in God and to have all of their deepest needs met in him. They were designed to work hand-in-hand with God to spread his dominion over the planet. They were designed to enjoy the gift of sex in the safety of marriage. They were designed for beauty, joy and wonder.
But, then, sin crashed the party. Adam’s sin, your sin and your children’s sin combine to fuel the cravings of the flesh. The beautiful design of God was exchanged for the ugly lies of self interest.
Your children were not designed for sin! Life can’t deliver what it promises. Relationships that offer hope and safety become broken and toxic. We are not designed to have people replace God as the center of life. We are not designed to use our bodies to bring honor to ourselves.
Sin, at its core, is living in a way that is contrary to what designed life to be. Things that God made to be beautiful become destructive when used for personal pleasure instead of God. As people made in God’s image we are made to joyfully serve the Lord of the universe. When someone or something other than God becomes the focus of life, life will not work as it should.
For example, suppose you just purchased a new vehicle that is perfect for city driving. But then you go camping to a remote spot up in the mountains. Instead of an off-road 4 wheel drive vehicle, you take your new, comfortable car. The fun weekend get-away turns into a disaster when the new vehicle is ruined by driving over harsh terrain. Why? The vehicle was used in a way it was never designed for.
When people flaunt authority, use sex for their own purposes, and seek to be fulfilled by other humans, life will not go well. Teach your children the beauty of God’s design for life. They are not designed for sin. They are designed for God.