Reflections

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.  Proverbs 22:6

This past summer we went on a Mission Trip to Uganda, and we took our young children with us to the remote areas we visited.  One weekend we ministered at a church in a small village.  Our children never complained about the lack of their usual comforts (TV, snacks, toys, etc.).  Instead my son wanted to stay with his father to “preach”.  I was amazed how my son mimicked his father’s every move while he preached.  He even held a small bible in his hands and stood next to his father while he preached to the people.  Wherever we went my son wanted to be next to his father preaching.  Both my son and daughter laid hands on people and prayed for them.  Yet they are only six and four years old.

As I have watched my children grow I am constantly amazed at how impressionable they are.  They truly are like sponges.  They take in whatever they see or hear.  Everything influences our children (parents, siblings, teachers, friends, relatives, entertainment, etc.)  Who is influencing your child?

There are days my son wants to be Batman, Superman, Spiderman, or even Tigger.  Most of the time he wants to be like his dad.  He wants to wear the same clothes, walk like him and talks like him.  As parents we have such a huge influence over our children and we are expected to train them starting when they are born.

They say that 90% of a child’s personality is developed by the age of 5.  This means the first five years are crucial and we the parents should be the one influencing our children and training them in the way they should go.  The scripture above tells us that if we do this they will not depart from it when they grow old.  Kids may rebel in their teens or early 20s, trying their best to be unlike their parents, but eventually most turn out like mom or dad.  If we parents do not influence and train our child someone else will.

It really does take a village to raise a child.  Even if you do not have children yourself, know that you are an influence on the youth.  They see us and they are watching.  They listen to our speech, watch what we do, and imitate what they see.  The above scripture works both ways – if you train a child to do badly, when he is old he will do bad.  Children will grow up doing as adults what they are trained to do as children.  The youth are our responsibility and we all have a responsibility to raise the next generation of godly men and women – who shun evil and fear God.