J. Davy Crockett III

The bare trees make a silhouette on the horizon in the winter morning light, beautiful to behold in the cold, clear, crisp air. Not much traffic on a Saturday morning, a far cry from the crowded traffic on roadways on weekday commutes for most workers.

The radio news is relatively quiet, except for analysis of the still-ongoing political issues and talk about the big games scheduled for the weekend.

Now there is a really dumb idea! In this age of "latch-key" children in which the parenting of small children is often left to the hired help, the concept of shifting the burden of child care to others is very popular.

"What's the use? Life is futile, nothing will turn out right." This really is a dumb and very sad idea. Many people have this approach to life and are overcome with a feeling of hopelessness and futility. And, this is not a new phenomenon.

This dumb idea was a very popular campaign slogan a few years ago, and it is a commonly held belief today. In our consumer-based economic system, which runs on credit or borrowed money, the general state of the economy is important for the well-being of its citizens.

But, when this is the case, the emphasis is all wrong and our collective sense of values goes awry, resulting in spiraling personal debt and a materialistic, short-term mentality. Look around you and see if this does not describe the current situation in much of the developed world today.

What is this dumb idea all about? It has become so pervasive that it impacts all levels of our society and impedes our communication with others. What is the point? Why has this worthless concept and practice become so prevalent?

Does The Bible address such "modern" concepts? Actually, God's Word gives very specific instruction on the motives that drive this dumb idea.