Train up a child in the way he [she] should go, and when he [she] is old he [she] will not depart from it. Proverbs 22: 6, NKJV.
Heavenly Father, today as we come into Your presence to study Your Word, we give You thanks for the assurance that You will teach us how to deal with these precious little ones, that You have “lent” to us, in such a way, that it will bring out the very best in them. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Today we are going to meditate upon this very special, well known, and much preached about, verse. Many of us, as children, memorized it in Sabbath School, or Sunday School. I am certain, that as short as this verse is, and as much as we have heard about it, we will never be able to exhaust its content. This text is about the education of a lifetime; that begins in this world, and has the potential to prepare us for the world to come. Let us look at it in two parts.
“Train up a child in the way he [she] should go …” There is so much implied in these few words! How do we begin to estimate all that is involved in the training of a child! Even before the child comes physically, into the world, through prenatal influences, we can begin to train that child! “Fathers and mothers may study their own character in their children. They may often read humiliating lessons as they see their own imperfections reproduced in their sons and daughters. While seeking to repress and correct in their children hereditary tendencies to evil, parents should call to their aid double patience, perseverance, and love” (The Adventist Home, p. 173, Emphasis provided).
Are we to despair because of this? By no means! The Bible itself tells us that we were all, “… sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51: 5, NIV). But the same Bible tells us that, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he [she] is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5: 17, NKJV)! Parents, do you see how important it is for us to lead our little ones to Jesus? Only He can make them into new creatures! Only He can free them from hereditary influences that are harmful. Only He can reproduce His beautiful character in them; for His glory, and the blessing of humanity! This is “the way they should go!”
“… [W]hen he [she] is old he [she] will not depart from it.” Many parents have witnessed the fulfillment of this text in the life of their children. Many times, in their adolescence, children have wanted to see the world through their own eyes. Many who grew up in Christian homes, have felt a need to go out into the world, and “see for themselves” what is “out there.” After a while, many, like the prodigal son, have come to the conclusion that, “life in my parent’s home is much better than life out here.” And many, by the grace of God, have returned to the safety, and protection of their homes. If there was any advice I would like to share with parents, it would be the following: By God’s grace, make home so warm and so full of the love of God, that they will always find it “better than out there!”
Then there is this application of the text that is rarely commented: It is believed that this text also implies the choosing of a lifework. It is said that when a child is born into a Chinese family, on his or her first birthday, the parents will put several toys before the child, and any toy the child chooses is an indication of the child’s natural attribute and inclination. I do not know how true this is. What I would recommend is that parents observe the inclinations of their children, and after much prayer, help them to cultivate what seems to be their natural ability. When we are faithful in doing our part, God will do His part, for the wholesome formation of our children!
*To my precious little sweetheart, Michael Wayne; my grandson, and the “special” love of my life, on his first birthday! May God grant you an eternity of birthdays! From all of us, Happy Birthday, sweet one! “Tita” says, “I love you, Michael!”