Enroute to the train station, I passed by a multi-purpose void deck. Two boys were kicking their football around the area, bouncing off the walls and leaving ball marks on them. The irony was great when the ball hit a sign on the pillar. It was a sign to indicate prohibition of ball games in the area. It is sad to see people disregard official prohibition signs – ‘No parking’, ‘No smoking’ etc. In the case of these two boys, I also put the blame on the lack of teaching and disciplining by the parents. As a Chinese saying goes, “子不教父之过,” meaning it is the fault of the parents if they do not discipline their children.

I know that many will say that many parents tried to teach their children. I do not doubt that. However, what are the areas that we major in teaching them? Most likely, the academic subjects in schools are given top priority. The teaching of morals, not so much. Teaching them to revere God, least importance. (I know not all are like that. There are some who do well in the moral and spiritual. Sadly, they are the minority.) To tell you the truth, that is putting the cart before the horse. If the main teachers of your children are social media, Tik Tok, YouTube and others, then the best of luck to you if they ever do well in the various aspects of life. The time taken away from their day to invest in what’s important outweighs the time left for meaningful work. (By the way, it applies to adults too.)

I know I am a lone voice crying out in the wilderness. But ask yourself if it is true. If it is not, disregard all these as noises in the wind. If it is, then what are you going to do about it?

Brothers and sisters, our young are our assets in the future. They need to have good role models and good timely teaching. Do not leave their education, in all aspects of life, to others. Take it upon yourself. Be the voice they listen to. Be the example that they will follow. Let them imitate you as you imitate Christ.

God bless,
In Christ’s service,

Barry Leong

在前往地铁站的路上，我经过一个多用途的底层。两名男生就在附近踢足球，足球弹跳到墙上留下了球印。极大讽刺的是足球打在柱子上的一个告示牌。这个告示牌其实是在说明此处禁止球类游戏。很难过看到群众无视于政府的告示。“禁止停车”、“禁止吸烟”等等，就这两名男生的情况来说，我会归咎于父母的疏于教导及管教。华人有一句话说，“子不教父之过”，意思是如果父母不管教他们的孩子，就是父母的过错。

我知道有很多人会说许多父母都已经在尝试教导他们的孩子，我对此并没有怀疑。然而，我们在教导他们时着重哪些方面呢？很有可能，学校的学术课程会是首要之选。道德的教育就没那么重了。教导他们尊崇上帝是最不重要的（我知道不是所有的父母都这样。有些在道德和属灵上就作得很好。可惜，这也只是少数）。说一句实话，这是本末倒置了。如果孩子的主要老师是社交媒体、抖音、优酷及其他，他们若还能在生活的其他方面作得好，那么你就是非常幸运的。从他们的一天中分出来，投入到重要事情上的时间，远远超过了留给有意义工作的时间。（顺便一提，这也适用于成人）。

我知道我是在旷野中呐喊的孤独声音。但是你问问自己这是否是真的。如果不是，你就把这些当作风中的噪声。如果确实如此，那么你将如何作呢？

弟兄姐妹，我们的年轻人是我们将来的资产。他们需要有美好的榜样和良好及时的教导。不要把他们生活中各方面的教育交给别人。要自己承担，成为他们听从的声音，也是他们会跟从的榜样。让他们效法你像你效法基督。

上帝赐福，
在基督里同工的，
Barry Leong

（林秀娟会吏翻译）