Tonight as I kissed my girls goodnight, and there daddy took them & tucked them in to bed, my husband asked my oldest daughter: "What does your mom know a lot about?" My daughter, in her sweet and assured voice said "She knows about everything!" My heart overflowed with joy because my daughter is confident in the thought that I know everything, and she trusts me fully to take care of her and to lead her in the right direction. Just as quickly as the joy overtook my heart, a huge sense of responsibility hit me: "I must be sure that I teach her the truth of God's word and instruction so that she will be able to make wise choices about her own life, faith and future."
Proverbs 22:6 says that we are to "Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it."
If we don't teach our kids to walk in the ways of God our Father, then who will? It is not enough to say a quick prayer before bed time, or at special holidays. It's not enough for us to take our children to church on Sunday morning and expect for our pastors and children's ministers to give our kids a quick tip on how to live their lives in the upcoming week. It is our duty to teach our children how to live every single day by the example we set before them.
If you say to your child "Don't drink alcohol," and then you are drinking, you are not setting a good example. If you tell your child that they should not cheat on a test at school because it's dishonest, but you cheat the government of your taxes, or you cheat God of your tithe... You are not setting a good example.
Children are amazingly smart. They can read between the lines of what you say and what you actually do. In no way am I saying that we will ever be perfect parents, but I am saying that if you know the right to do, then do it... And if you know the wrong that you shouldn't do... Don't do it! Teach your kids by words, and scripture, and they will remember some of what you taught; but combine that with an upright lifestyle of setting a good example and practicing what you teach, and your child will remember it for a lifetime.
Proverbs 22:6 says that we are to "Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it."
If we don't teach our kids to walk in the ways of God our Father, then who will? It is not enough to say a quick prayer before bed time, or at special holidays. It's not enough for us to take our children to church on Sunday morning and expect for our pastors and children's ministers to give our kids a quick tip on how to live their lives in the upcoming week. It is our duty to teach our children how to live every single day by the example we set before them.
If you say to your child "Don't drink alcohol," and then you are drinking, you are not setting a good example. If you tell your child that they should not cheat on a test at school because it's dishonest, but you cheat the government of your taxes, or you cheat God of your tithe... You are not setting a good example.
Children are amazingly smart. They can read between the lines of what you say and what you actually do. In no way am I saying that we will ever be perfect parents, but I am saying that if you know the right to do, then do it... And if you know the wrong that you shouldn't do... Don't do it! Teach your kids by words, and scripture, and they will remember some of what you taught; but combine that with an upright lifestyle of setting a good example and practicing what you teach, and your child will remember it for a lifetime.
