Teach Them When They Are Young!

The book of Proverbs in the Bible has some amazing words of wisdom. It was written by King Solomon, who was gifted by God to be the wisest man on earth. A verse that came to mind today was from Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” I believe that many of the families in the USA are not training their children to know God. Part of that is because they didn’t see that faith lived out in their parents. I have heard so many “enlightened” parents say that they are not pushing faith on their children so that as they grow up, they can choose what they want to believe for themselves. The problem is, if the parents aren’t training them, someone else will train them. There is so much indoctrination going on in some schools, extracurricular activities, clubs, peer pressure, political agendas, etc. A child is not equipped to determine what is right and wrong. It seems they are seldom taught critical thinking so that they can weigh out the pros and cons. It is the parents' responsibility to train them and not hand them over to others to raise... that includes churches too. Don’t get me wrong, church should be an important part of their life, but it does not replace the parents. I saw a wonderful thing take place when my wife and I went to grab something to eat. A mom came in and had, what appeared to be, two children... possibly three years old... possibly twins. They ordered their food and sat down to eat. Before taking a bite, these two angelic voices could be heard singing a table blessing. Not only were they being taught the importance of thanking God for their food, but they were setting an example for everyone else that was there... young and old alike. The two children were curious and full of joy, but they were also well behaved. It was clear that they were being trained in the way they should go. A pattern for daily living was being lived out before their very eyes. Maybe you no longer have young children. What about grandchildren or great-grandchildren? There is also Sunday School, youth group, and school events. Cheer them on and teach them to be a good sport. Maybe better yet is encourage parents that you know to train their children well. Pray for parents to step up and lead their children by example. Father, Thank You for the mother that set such an amazing example. We lift up all parents, that they might lead their children well. Amen