THE LITTLE TRAIN
Carey Madding
Today's Scripture: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6, ESV
Theme: The things we get right as parents stick with our kids through adulthood. Be motivated to get the important things right!
A SEMI-TRUTH
This verse was painted on a little plaque in my infant son’s room. There was a cute train, with a tiny puff of smoke, and straight train tracks running off into the distance ahead of it. Maybe you’ve heard this passage before and clung to it as a promise. I had. When my kids hit their teenage and young adult years, I realized my perception was a bit off. Now that I’ve talked with many heartbroken parents over the years, I see this verse so much differently.
Truth: You should be training your child to love and honor God. Truth: Your child will remember it all the days of his/her life. False: Your child will never depart the straight and narrow path. Even King David, who followed the Lord with all his heart, had children who went terribly awry. One son raped a half-sister; he was then killed by another son. Treason and rebellion divided his family. And finally, King Solomon did not stay on that righteous path, but allowed his addiction to sex and his pagan wives to draw him away from the One True God.
OUR JOB
As a parent, we are to share the ways of God, model the grace of Jesus, and talk about our relationship with the Father and Son. We are to curb their natural bent to sin without breaking their hearts or spirit. I think of it like a bonsai master. You can “train” a limb in a direction. You can nip an errant tendency toward sin, but you cannot do anything that would damage the life of the tree. You can’t make it into something it’s not. You must trust the Creator God to finish the work.
Matthew Henry’s commentary reminds us that just as a vessel (think cast iron skillet or an oaken cask for aging wine) retains the flavor, smell, or taste of that first seasoning, so children raised in the ways of God will have that sense of Him all the days of their lives. They may choose to ignore or mute the directions of His Spirit, but they KNOW God. They cannot un-know Him.
ROUGH SEASONS
In the hard times, keep praying. So many times, I have asked parents: “Did your child ever choose Christ? Ask Him to come into his/her heart? Ask Him to be Savior and Lord?” If so, I remind them Jesus' promise: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28, ESV). I urge them to keep modeling the love and mercy of God, without enabling. Always remind them there is a way back home to their Heavenly Father.
Make It Personal: If you are in a tough place, I urge you to “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, NKJV). Don’t live in worry or fear but turn to Jesus and remember His promises.
Pray: Lord, I pray that You would help me be the parent You want me to be. I pray for my believing child, that You would keep them close to You. That You would bless them for generations upon generations. For my struggling child, I pray You would intercede, draw them back, keep calling and wooing them by Your Spirit. I pray You would protect them from the enemy and remember Your promise: nothing can snatch them out of Your hand. For the child that does not know You, Lord, open their eyes to Your goodness, love, and salvation. Thank You. Help me to trust You completely. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
Read: John 10:28-30; Romans 8:31-38
Weekly Memory Verse: “Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 (ESV)