Judges 8:27 “Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.”

After successfully defeating the Midianites and leading the nation Gideon made a terrible mistake. He forgot the Second Commandment. You know that one, don’t you? Don’t make any graven images. Now, I don’t know Gideon’s motive behind making the ephod, but I really don’t think he meant it to be worshipped. Perhaps he just wanted a reminder of the great victory over the Midianites. Perhaps he just wanted the people to see it and remember the mighty act of God in that battle.

Whatever his motive, it backfired. The people began to worship it. The passage says it “became a snare to Gideon and his household.” So somewhere between defeating the Midianites and death, Gideon messed up.

Your children may do something with good intentions that is NOT what the Lord intended. Pursuing a career that provides well may seem harmless unless it is not what the Lord would have them do. We, as Mom and Dad, are the ones to direct them in their early years toward seeking the Lord’s Will in everything. Sometimes that means waiting and waiting and waiting.

I don’t know about you, but I hate to wait. I hate waiting at red lights, restaurants or…on God. But I have to wait. I have no choice. Our children have to learn to wait. After all, life is a lot of red lights with very few blinking green lights. God will tell us to go when we He is ready. Don’t let your kids jump the red lights in life. That can lead to disaster.

The next time you are with your kids at a red light, instead of getting anxious about the wait, how about asking your child to pray. Pray for the person in the car next to you or the business or house you just passed. You never know what may happen.