Will Our Kids Tear Their Clothes?

[415 words] When I was a kid in the 70’s, tearing your clothes was a horrible event. A mother’s admonition was, “Don’t tear a hole in your jeans, or I’ll have to patch them!” It was an accidental, tragic thing, usually occurring due to a child’s negligence.  In Bible times, though, tearing one’s clothes was an intentional act, signifying anguish or mourning. One example of this is found in 2 Kings 22:11-13. After Hilkiah the high priest found the lost Book of the Law, it was given to Josiah the King. When he heard the words of the book, he said, “our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us” (2 Kings 22:13). Josiah tore his clothes because of the negligence of his fathers that went before him.  Will our own children metaphorically tear their clothes some day? They…