Train Up a Child….

There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child and there is probably more truth in that than many of us would like to admit; however, it helps to know what the village holds in high esteem…what are its core values? Unfortunately, the morals and values that seem to permeate our society today in America are a far cry from that of our grandmothers and grandfathers….some would argue that should be considered growth, but I beg to differ.

The Bible speaks plainly on this matter in Proverbs 22:6, where it reads, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”…and in Deuteronomy 6:5-7 which says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise.”

God has placed the yoke of raising our children squarely on our backs. We are to be their heroes…not some rock star or teenage heart-throb; not some football player or basketball protégé; not some movie starlet or “hunk’ from a sitcom….our children should identify with us, their parents, and we in turn should point them to Jesus. We should seize each and every teachable moment to instill and reinforce that Jesus Christ is Lord in this world and in our own hearts….nothing less will get the job done right!!!!

We must be alert for the opportunities that God presents each day as we go about the daily tasks and rituals of living in a fallen and sin-sick world….we must present Jesus in the way we deal with others and especially with the way we interact and love our children. It still remains a mystery why the old saying, “More is caught than taught” can ring so true; but our children are ALWAYS WATCHING what we do and they will do their very best imitation of us…often at the worst and most embarrassing time.

So, though the bulk of the work to raise healthy, loving and well-adjusted children is a parents’ greatest single challenge, it is permissible and practical to get some outside help. Your pastor, youth and children’s ministers, Sunday school teachers and others in your church are a great place to receive advice, counseling and encouragement for this all-important task …and this is a great village in which to entrust your children for the additional love and support that comes from a loving and caring fellowship of believers….if you're in such a place, THANK GOD; if not, ask God to direct your steps to a house of worship that treats children as Christ did when he said, ”Suffer the little children to come unto me.”

And as always be on the lookout for poignant material that reinforces the teachings in Scripture and puts them in practical, everyday language …like the following that was in a speech delivered by Bill Gates to a group of high schools students …talking about how the current feel-good, politically correct teachings have created a generation with no concept of reality in the REAL world …and how this teaching sets them up for failure ….read on and teach accordingly!

1. Life is not fair…GET USED TO IT!
2. The world does not care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
3. You will not make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice- president or have a chauffeur until you earn both.
4. If you think your teacher is tough…wait until you have a BOSS.
5. Flipping burgers is NOT beneath your dignity…your grandparents had a different word for flipping burgers called OPPORTUNITY.
6. Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as now…they got that way paying your bills, buying your clothes and listening to you talk about how great you are. So before you save the rainforests from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try cleaning up you own room….without your parents’ help.
7. If you mess up, it’s not your parents fault….Don’t whine, fess up and learn from you mistakes.
8. Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but the world HAS NOT! They may have abolished failing grades and may give you as many times as you need to get the correct answer; but that bears NO resemblance to ANYTHING in the real world.
9. Life is not divided into semester and you don’t get the summers off. In fact, few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF…do that on your own time.
10. Television is NOT real life. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to their jobs.

Some great and inspirational truths are often found in the most unlikely places ….so as a parent; keep learning so that you can keep teaching by word and most importantly, by example.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus…Teaching as He taught,
WPQ