Over the last few days I have been working out in the yard, putting up a fence. Fences, like all boundaries, are established to make distinctions and to maintain those distinctions. The figurative fence that a man builds around his home, his family, and their lives makes the distinction between good and evil, right and wrong, what we do and what we do not do. Sin ravages the world outside, but the fence keeps his family safe from falling victim to such destruction. And as they grow up and leave his home, having seen their Daddy build his fence teaches them how to build their own. While I work on our new fence, my kids are right there with me, playing and wanting to help from time to time. Last Saturday as I worked setting a post, my one year-old picked up the level and toddled over to where I was. I looked down and watched as he put the level on the post, just like he'd seen me doing. (Later that same day my three year-old peed in the yard, just like he'd seen me doing, except he did it at church. Context is key, and we're working on that.)
It is a sobering realization when you understand that your kids are paying very close attention and imitating what they observe. Teach them how to build those fences. Give them an example of how to hold the line. Make sure that the Lord's boundaries are familiar and normal for them, and that they are not comfortable moving them. (Deuteronomy 4:9 and 6:4-12)