A couple of horrible incidents that have recently made national news have brought about quite a bit of criticism for the parents involved. First, a young boy slipped away for a few seconds at the Cincinnati Zoo and fell into the gorilla exhibit. He was rescued, relatively unharmed, but not until after some frightful moments. Then a toddler visiting Disneyworld with his family was killed by an alligator. Both incidents caused many people to question the skills of the parents of those children. Some even said that there should be some type of punishment forthcoming.

The majority of people do not blame the parents. They understand that it is not possible to keep a child completely safe every second of every day. Kids have a way of wandering into trouble, and it only takes a moment for something terrible to happen.

While our earthly parents can’t protect us every single moment, we Christians have a heavenly Father who constantly watches over us. He cares for us, meets all of our needs and has provided a place for us in heaven when our time on this earth is over.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!…”—1 John 3:1