Too often, we find committed Christians whose children grow up as unbelievers. Who’s to blame, because something is definitely wrong somewhere?! Proverbs 22:6 says, “Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it” (TLB). Really, you can’t blame such children much because it’s their parents that didn’t do what the Word says. So when you see a child that’s not going the right way, understand that he was not trained to choose and walk in it.
You ought to have a vision for your children now while they are still young. Don’t wait till they’re old before you teach them what to do and how to live. Train them to do what’s right even when you’re not there. We talk a lot about Solomon and his wisdom but it was David his father who trained him to follow the right path in life. David had to be wise to guide his son the way he did. When you study the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, you’ll discover that Solomon hearkened to his father’s counsel. When God appeared to him, he could have asked for anything but he knew what to ask for; his father had instructed him on the right path.
There are those who say, “I try not to impose anything on my children. I let them make their decisions by themselves.” That’s nonsense! Your role as a parent goes beyond just feeding, clothing and sheltering your children. You must shield them from the vices that pervade today’s world and guide them along the path that’s just and right. Our choices in life are influenced by the information we have. Therefore, give your children Word-based information, so they won’t pick up the wrong information in the world and make choices based on them.
