Train children in the right way, and when they are old, they will not stray. Proverbs 22:6
I grew up understanding that there’s a right way and a wrong way to train a child. You only need look around at all the wayward people to see training gone amok, lackadaisical parenting resulting in children who shun youth group or adults who steer clear of any church.
So when I became a parent I knew training my children in the right way, in The Way, would be a priority. I wanted them to grow into their faith and contribute goodness to a hurting world. So I bought Children’s Bibles with pastel-hued pictures to ensure they’d learn the Jesus stories. I took them to Sunday School to engrain a Sabbath rhythm. I prayed bedside prayers each night to teach them how to talk to God about everything – good grades, mean words, hurt feelings and even our fear of the dark. This was all part of my attempt to train my children in The Way.
I always thought this proverb was about instructing my children in God’s way of life. And to my ear it sounded like a promise – if I taught my children to follow God’s ways from the earliest of days, then I could rest assured that they would forever follow Him.
Then I read a commentary on Proverbs and discovered the translation from Hebrew into English changed a key word and thus changed the entire meaning of the passage.
Read the rest over at SheLoves Magazine HERE !
(NOTE: As you read this, I’m still in transit to Burundi. Seriously, it’s a long journey.)
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