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This article is from Today's
Native Father, issue #122, July/August, 2002. Related articles from this issue: |
The Right Shape for Catching Fish by David Hertzler |
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"Once there was a fishing net that got tired of hanging around in the sun and decided to do a little fishing on his own. He called for his friend the breeze, who picked him up in her arms and blew him gently down the bank and into the water. Ah-h-h! That was more like it! The net spread his arms, caught the current and started downstream. Soon he was among the fish. They poked him curiously with their noses and smacked him with their tails. But try as he would, he could not catch a single one. Then he remembered something. Always before when he had fished, he had been fastened with a rope at both ends. These ropes gave him the right shape to catch fish. But now, here he was, a ropeless, shapeless, fishless tangle, floating out to sea. Adapted from Today’s Native Father, March/April, 1989 Until a child can “shape up” for himself, he needs parental authority to give him the “right shape to catch fish.” If he doesn’t get it, tragic things can happen, as this story of Eli illustrates. Eli was a respected high priest, elderly and dignified. But Eli had problems with his two sons. His sons worked with him as priests. But what priests they were! They stole the best cuts of meat from the sacrifices. Under the guise of “priestly service,” they molested the women who came to worship. People started to stay away from the place of worship because of Eli’s sons. When Eli found out what his sons were doing, he (a) immediately dismissed them from the priesthood (b) took legal action and pressed charges against them (c) cut them out of their inheritance (d) did none of the above. If you chose (d), you are absolutely right. Eli let the abuse and other offenses go on and did nothing to stop them. Nothing, that is, except a mild scolding, to which his sons paid no attention at all. Two prophets of God spoke to Eli about his family. “God is holding you accountable for the behaviour of your sons,” they told him. “You have failed to exercise your authority as a father and high priest. You and your sons will be punished severely.” The best response Eli could manage to these warnings was, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” When God’s judgment came, Eli and his sons all met untimely deaths on the same day. Trouble plagued Eli’s descendants for many more generations. Modern society values rights over responsibilities: workers’ rights, civil rights, women’s rights, children’s rights. As soon as a child starts to think for himself, society tells him, “Nobody has the authority to tell you what to do.” At the opposite extreme is the abusive rule that some parents exercise, calling it “authority.” No wonder children are confused and alienated! Effective authority comes only from higher authority. Parents can have effective authority over their children when they submit to the higher authority of God and those he ordains. Without these lines of authority in place, everyone becomes a “ropeless, shapeless, fishless tangle, floating out to sea.” |
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