Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Like most people who have raised kids I can’t help but ask myself the following questions: “Did I do enough? Did I say enough? Did I teach them enough?”
Raising children is “on the job training” at best, and the only real way to know if you did the right thing is by waiting until after they are grown and making choices for themselves. Since we are not naturally equipped with the necessary experience that we need, it is vitally important that (like everything else in life) we follow the instructions. Most adults are just grown-up kids themselves, and they lack the practical experience to raise their children properly. Knowing this, God has given us the Bible, and it has all the instructional guidance we will need to do it right the first time!
A parent/guardian who will faithfully follow the Word of God will find that the Bible is true and reliable. Its instruction has worked for centuries! From care and grooming to discipline and any other activity, the Bible is the right place to look for proper child-rearing instruction. When you trust the Word of God you are actually trusting its author (God Himself). He gave us His perfect Son who died in our place that we might all be saved from our sin, and the condemnation awaiting us on the day of judgment. The Bible is God’s perfect manual for life (including child-rearing.)
What are some practical steps a person can take to give their child(ren) the best opportunity in life?
1. Get a Bible and read it, you’ll be amazed at what you will learn.
2. Go to church. Regular church attendance is proven to help families to grow and function properly.
3. Pray. “The family that prays together, stays together.”
4. Listen. Listen to the real people, using real words in a real environment. Put your phone down and take a break from social media and get to know the best “friends” you’ll ever have … your own kids. They’ll all too soon be grown and gone and you can spend all the time you want browsing, surfing and scrolling. In the meantime, pay attention to the real life going on right under your nose!
5. Laugh and Love. You will never regret the time spent laughing and loving those God has given you. Rediscover “family game night.” Reinstate “family dinner” complete with actually sitting down at the table and sharing a home-cooked meal. Reinvent ways to open up and communicate with one another (it will be hard at first because so much of our modern communication is done through texts and messaging.)
If you will follow these basic instructions, then you can be confident in the results that are sure to follow. A half-hearted attempt or incomplete obedience to the Word of God will result in undesirable results. We all need to keep our children and families in church and under sound Biblical preaching and teaching. We need to share and show the love of God in our homes. Our children need to see their parent(s)/guardian living humbly and obediently before God. This example is what they need to see in us on a daily basis.
See you in church!
(Pastor Jones can be reached by email pastor@faithbaptistchurch.us. Follow him on Twitter @PastorTonyJones or visit an upcoming service at Faith Baptist Church … “the church on the hill”)
