Stranger Danger
- Frances McFarland
- May 7
- 6 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
There lived a monster among us in 1985. His first victim was seventeen years old, kidnapped in front of her home after stopping to collect mail. This beautiful girl's life ended days before she was to graduate from high school and venture out into the world. Her abductor tortured her family with sadistic phone calls and tormented police with cat-and-mouse games as they worked feverishly to find him before he struck again.
He promised he would.
We held tight to our children—mine were two and four. Neighbors stayed in their houses. Our once lively park became a quiet place, empty and still.
The overwhelming terror parents felt stemmed from one fact. We didn’t know who our enemy was.
If we had any clue as to what he looked like, what his voice sounded like, or how he planned to grab another child, we could be better prepared to protect our children. It became painfully necessary to chip away at the wall of their innocence. We needed to let them know the enemy existed.
Children were aware of the phrase, "Stranger Danger". If you asked them what to do if a stranger approached, they would usually reply correctly. I wanted to know if my children and the children I taught in my preschool class knew what “stranger” meant. So I
asked.
"What does a stranger look like?"
The replies were telling.
Sharp teeth
Wild hair
Long claws
Dirty, ragged clothes
Convincing them that the stranger might be someone who looked nice and had good things to offer was difficult. Their love of puppies and candy seemed to outweigh their mistrust of someone who would offer such delights. Children needed constant reminders of this truth. Especially after the monster took his next victim.
Almost invisible
It wasn't the neighbor's grainy description of the man she saw grab a nine-year-old from her front yard that led detectives to the killer. It was a letter he had his first victim send to her parents just before her death. Indentations of a phone number written on the previous page of the notepad provided valuable information. This almost invisible clue ripped the mask from the monster's face and ended Larry Gene Bell's killing spree.
I cannot mention the name Larry Gene Bell without feeling the nausea those memories evoke. We celebrated the day authorities plucked him from our presence. No longer could he hide while satisfying his evil appetite to stalk, abduct, and kill our children. The air felt lighter. We unlocked our doors and went back to the park. The joyful sound of children playing freely was a balm that helped soothe the pain of those dark days.
With that, I wish I could say, "The end." The grim truth is that another monster lurks among us- one more evil than all the Larry Gene Bells of the world. The monster lies low, slithering to the most unlikely places, waiting for opportunities to lure and capture his prey. His most potent plan is to lull us into complacency, a place skillfully prepared to win control over his victims undetected.
Be sure of it. He exists. His name is Satan. And he wants our children.
Recognizing the stranger and his schemes
We don't fight to protect our children from an enemy we don't recognize. Satan seldom leaves obvious clues. Because we'll never see his face, we must look for the faint imprint he leaves on his notepad. Just as Paul warned the church to stand firm against spiritual attacks, we must also be prepared to stand against his attacks on our children "in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11
Satan's strategies for undoing God's plan of salvation began in the garden as he dangled desirable fruit before Eve. His sales pitch came beautifully wrapped in a bit of truth but saturated in crafty deceit. With little hesitation, Eve sank her teeth into the promises of the good things a simple taste would bring.
Emboldened by his success and unfazed by God's declaration that his doom was sure, Satan polished up his tools of lies and deceit, grabbed a basket of fruit, and slithered out of the garden, into the world where we now live.
Small window, Big enemy.
If Satan is successful in peddling his basket of tasty fruit to today's parents, his chances of successfully luring children away from God's Kingdom significantly increase. However, the window of time for him to do his most productive work is small.
George Barna, executive director of the American Culture and Faith Institute, shared startling revelations of his research in his book, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions. His research concluded that:
By age twelve, most Americans make a lasting determination about the personal significance of Christ’s death and resurrection.
By the time a child is nine, their basic moral foundations have already been formed.
By thirteen, a person has irrevocably formed the majority of their spiritual beliefs.
What you believe by the time you are thirteen will more than likely be what you will die believing.
Barna passes on foreboding warnings in more recent publications:
“New research released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows that the foundational beliefs held by 8- to-12-year-olds put them on track to abandon biblical Christianity in record numbers.”
"The research suggests that most parents, even born-again parents, do not really think the spiritual component of their child’s life is a big deal—at least not as big a deal as doing well in school, sports, or relationships."
Satan's motivation is obvious.
Just as the Pharaoh gave orders to kill Hebrew babies in fear that they would become warriors to fight against his kingdom, he knows our babies could one day grow to be men and women who are warriors for the Kingdom of God. Left unattended, he is free to trample down the soft, fertile soil of a child's heart, leaving no trace of his footprints on its crusty surface.
Stones or Bread?
Take a close look at the account of Satan's battle to turn Jesus' eyes away from His eternal throne. His promises to satisfy earthly desires and to grant worldly power, authority, and success align well with our desires to provide for our children's physical and emotional well-being by setting them on a path to academic and social success.
"The devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.' " Luke 4:3. It's odd that Satan would offer bread to the One who is the Bread of Life in his attempts to lure Jesus from the cross. Perhaps this experience was fresh on Jesus' mind when He later questioned, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" Matthew 7:9
We crave good things for our children. If we gaze at the rock long enough, we might imagine the sweet aroma of fresh bread, feel its warmth, and anticipate the delight its taste will bring. With just a nibble, we declare it is good for our sons and our daughters. We trade real bread for stones.
We want our children to be happy. Wise parents do all they can to equip them to be good citizens and respected members of society. However, the time we spend pointing them to the supremacy of Christ and teaching them the joy of loving and worshiping Him is our most valuable investment in their futures.
Satan's Goal
Satan applauds our efforts to help our children leave childhood and enter the adult world with good jobs, nice homes, and healthy marriages. His goal is not for them to become lonely and miserable. His goal is to keep the Bread of Life out of their hands. Parents who mistake stones for bread risk raising children who throw great dinner parties and know which football team to root for, but in the end, fall victim to an enemy they never saw lift a sword.
There is hope in the promises of God.
The results of studies like those conducted by George Barna are meant to alert us, not discourage us. None of us can boast that our perfected parenting techniques have secured salvation for our children. It's the Holy Spirit who penetrates the hearts of unbelievers and draws them to Himself. As one so adequately said, "We provide the kindling. The Holy Spirit ignites the fire."
Continue to pray for your children, no matter where they are spiritually. Yes, there is a powerful enemy whose promises of earthly treasures draw them to himself. But remember, there's also a loving Savior who brings the lost home.
Praise God for the promises of Romans 16:19-20:
"I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
Amen!
Wow! This is so powerful. Thank you for waking us back up to the reality of our children's real enemy.
Such a powerful story! Thanks for writing this!