Sounds good. Sounds like a promise, doesn't it? Like a guarantee. "Just do this and TADA godly children!"
I'm sure we all know parents who really did try their best. They were active in church, really loved the Lord, surrounded their children with church friends...did everything "right." And then we were all shocked when their kids walked away from the faith once they were out on their own. What happened? What went wrong and what does that mean for me and my family? I'm doing all I know to do. I thought if I trained up my children in the way they should go, they would not depart from it?
Here's the thing. Some people look at the book of Proverbs like a book full of guaranteed truths, a book full of promises. I don't believe that is so. I think Proverbs is a book chock full of wisdom. It's a book FULL of godly instruction that is wise and true. However, there are exceptions to the outcome of wise sayings meaning, generally speaking, if you train up a child in the way he should go he will not depart from it, but not ALWAYS. There are godly parent who ARE training up their children in the way they should go, but, you know what? There are also children who are only outwardly adopting their parents' faith while they are within the home. There are children who are not truly followers of Jesus Christ and that's something we don't want to admit. We don't want to admit it because it means it's possible that OUR children are those children! God help us! We don't want that to be the case.
I will tell you what Proverbs 22:6 along with such verses as Deuteronomy 6:7-9 mean to me. They tell me that it's my responsibility to train my children in the ways of the Lord. My husband and I, as followers of Christ Jesus, are responsible for training our children all about God's ways, His Word, how he wants us to live, etc..It's a constant process full of making mistakes, asking forgiveness, offering grace and mercy. It means we make decisions based on how God would have us parent, not what is culturally popular at the moment. In fact, often the way we parent our children is not culturally popular. No matter. God instructs us to do it anyway. It means we aren't just church-goers. It means we LIVE out our beliefs.
Right now, all of our children live at home with our oldest on the brink of legal adulthood. My husband and I are well aware that young adults walk away from a faith they once professed. We are well aware that this happens to even the godliest of parents who really did everything they knew to do. This is why we shouldn't judge peoples' parenting abilities based on how their adult children turn out. Obviously there are some people who did not do as the Bible says to do. Even then, by the grace of God, He swoops down and rescues them from their sin, from their rebellion, from their ignorance. He sure did that with me. I never even knew Easter was really Resurrection Sunday and that Jesus had anything (actually EVERYTHING) to do with it until I was grown. I had no biblical knowledge. No church knowledge, unless you count that people sometimes got married at church.
Hope is never lost when it comes to the Almighty God we serve. Don't you forget that. I know you are looking at your kids, especially if they are nearing adulthood. You're watching, cringing at certain things maybe, huh? Proud of them at other moments, then wondering the next...."What if?" Keep on doing what the Word says to do. Keep on "training up" that child in the way he should go. When they get out on their own, they will probably do things a little differently than you do. They will spread their wings. They might (gasp) attend a different church. They might walk away. Who knows? Only God knows this right now. Worrying about this does nothing for you.
N-O-T-H-I-N-G!
Train up a child in the way he should go and then leave it to God. God sees the work we do. He sees how hard we try, how much we love our children so dearly. He hears our nightly prayers, sometimes full of tears and sobs, "God, please keep watch over my children." He hears. It's like we're begging Him. We don't have to beg. He loves our children and He is sovereign. Everything is under control.
Right now, my children profess faith in Jesus Christ. Right now, I have what most people consider "good children." (Don't get me wrong, they are well behaved, loving kids, for the most part, but they're human.)
What to do if they DO depart from it? What then? Do we call God a liar? Do we become bitter and say the Bible is full of lies, the Proverbs were wrong? No, of course not. We keep on loving God because He is our FIRST LOVE. We keep on trusting God, knowing He is working everything for our good and that sometimes we can't see His plan unfolding but it's unfolding nevertheless. And we keep on loving those children, too. Always, always loving those children and making sure they know it.
Heavenly Father, we lift our children up to You, entrusting them to You. We thank You for continuing to give us strength and courage and the wisdom it takes to train these children up the way You'd have us do. We pray you fill the hearts of our children with a sincere desire to love you, to know you, to be BOLD Jesus-followers, changing the world for You, Lord. We pray you make sin repulsive to our children and give them eyes set on things of Above. We pray You help our children to be leaders who help their friends forsake the world, repent of sin and follow You. We pray you bring godly friends into the lives our children; friends who will encourage them in their walk with you, not discourage them, not friends who encourage them to sin. We know You love our children and we thank You for loaning them to us for this short time we have here on earth. May our parenting efforts always reflect Your love and reflect a heart that is obedient to You and Your Word. In Jesus's name we pray, amen.
Friends, I have such a heart for young people. The enemy wants our children. I pray for young people who have no idea I'm praying for them, but the Lord just brings them to mind as I pray. If you have any private, specific requests for your young adults, I would be privileged to lift them up in prayer if you feel like sharing. You can post your requests here in the comments anonymously, or you can fill out the contact form here on my blog. We must intercede and pray for our children now more than ever. We cannot allow the distractions of life to keep us away from this essential obligation.
For His glory alone,
genesis
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