Proverbs or Promise? (Part Two)

 

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 NKJ

Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost. Proverbs 22:6 MGS

I found that the Hebrew word for 'train" means to learn from experience. Psalm 34:8 For example, when a mother is weaning her baby, she would take some solid food on her finger and place it on the roof of the infant's mouth. As the baby would suck on her finger, he would learn, from experience, to eat solid food. If you want your children to grow up to be a devoted Christ-follower, you must allow them to experience the walk of faith.

When I was in Bible college, I had to experience sharing my faith with non believers. Since I was one of the older students, I was assigned to drive the college bus and take 15-20 students to Belle Glade, Florida. Belle Glade is mostly a slum and has a 75% crime rate and is one of the poorest cities in Florida. Much of the population consists of migrant workers who work in the sugar fields.

My wife and my two young children would often accompany me. During the afternoon, we would share Bible stories with the children on the streets. This ghetto would be littered with hypodermic needles and whiskey bottles. Since we had no building to meet in, we had to sit on the curb on the street. My two kids would be the only white kids in the group.

In the evening, we would go to the migrant worker's camp to hold evangelistic meetings. This gave the ministerial students experience preaching. Again, my children attended with us and the workers enjoyed having our kids with them. It was a little unsettling to see our kids surrounded by these rough men. Many would sharpen their machetes for the next day's work in the field during the service.

Allow me to share this disclaimer. I was not a perfect father. I made more than my share of mistakes. I wish I could say I was a model father. But even with all my shortcomings, both of my children have grown up to be mature followers of Christ. I believe one of the reasons our children have not strayed from the faith is all that they have experienced.

I have been a church pastor for over 30 years and have been through some difficult situations. We were very open with our children when going through those circumstances. When we were treated unfairly, we sat down with our kids and told them we held to ill will against those people. As a family, we prayed for them. Matthew 5:43-44

Parents, the best teaching tool is for you to live the Christian life before your kids. Your kids would rather see a sermon than hear one!