Way They Should Go

I cannot think of a more familiar scripture regarding parenting than Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Of course, we as Christians know that training up a child to know and walk in a relationship with Christ is the ultimate desire for all our children.

However, as parents, this scripture asks us to train children in the way they should go. It also directs us to help our children find their unique gifts and God’s calling on their lives.

This requires removing our ideas and projections of ourselves onto our parents. We need not put our vocation, business, personality, or calling onto our children. God does not want another of us; He made them unique. If you are a doctor, He may give you an artist. If you are a musician, He may give you an engineer, etc.

As parents, it is our joy and responsibility to help them find their gifts. They may or may not be athletic, musical, academically, or mechanically gifted. They need our encouragement and resources to try anything they have an interest in. This can be challenging, but it can help them find their way.

I encourage parents to have their children try something different every year just to expose them to different things. Also, having your children serve in church or the community can give them experiences that can give them clues to what they enjoy and how they can serve others. After all, we are all called to serve as we are all servants of the Lord.

Make this an adventure; each child will be dramatically different, so each is worthy of the investment and support to find their “way.”

Questions:

1. What are the gifts you see in each child?

2. How are you actively cultivating the gifts of your child?

3. How are you and they serving in a church or community?