Act Like Children...

...Get treated like children.

Here is an article about how Colby college here in Maine is banning hard liquor on campus because it is usually the culprit when someone is hospitalized with alcohol poisoning.  The college is trying to protect students (and no doubt its reputation) by putting this ban in place, hopefully making it harder for students to become dangerously drunk.  The article notes that close to 20 students were hospitalized after one event a couple of years ago.  The article ends with a quote from a 19 year old student complaining that the college is trying to babysit the students.

Babysitters are needed for children who aren't old enough/mature enough to safely take care of themselves.  I can understand why a 19 year old would protest any action they might perceive as being "babysat".

BUT.

If students are drinking to the point of needing to be hospitalized, they are not safely taking care of themselves.

I want to say that I am not in favor of the so called "nanny-state" form of government where the government makes rules and laws to try to stop all stupid behavior.  That being said, there are a lot of people, not just college students, who are still acting like children.  When God gave the law in the old testament, He gave it as a baby-sitter.  Something to keep us safe until we grew up.   Unfortunately, a lot of us have never grown up.  People do things that they should not do, which are not good for themselves or others.  They are ruled, not by what is best, but by what they want.  I have three kids, and that is their natural state, to pursue what they want, whether it is right or safe or wise or not.  Sarah's and my job as parents is to teach them good judgement and self control so that they will discipline themselves and no longer need our external discipline or "babysitting."

That is the way of Christ as well.  We are to "grow up" in Christ (Eph 4:15) until we are all mature adults (Eph 4:13).   Paul says that "When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." (1 Cor. 13:11).  We ought to act like adults who don't need to be babysat because we do what is right, not just whatever we want.  We won't drive in ways that endanger ourselves or others.  We won't abuse our bodies so as to remove ourselves from our loved ones prematurely.  We won't divorce our spouse and put our children through hell just because we're thinking of an easier way for us to be happy.  There are a lot of things that we just won't do if we are mature.  We won't need a babysitter or laws to tell us to do it.

The context of Paul's statement about putting away childish things is 1 Cor. 13, which is known as the love chapter.  Paul says, "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).  This "law of love" is what controls adults (2 Cor. 5:14).  If all the people 16 and over were to apply the self discipline of love mentioned in verses 4-7 above, our country would be a much much better place with the need for fewer laws, less police, less insurance, fewer handguns, locks, and jails.  The court system would be smaller because there would be so little need for it.

I guess we still really need a babysitter.  Maybe instead of complaining about having a babysitter we should learn to live is such a way that we don't need one.