Early Spiritual Training
By Susan Klein
“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not
depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Parenting isn’t for
sissies. Anyone who has ever reared children will quickly attest to that. A
great deal of passion, pain and perseverance go into raising our kiddos. Engage
any parent in conversation and they will have tales to verify this. And they’ll
likely share their best parenting tips (if you’re so inclined to inquire). Yet
we all know that there are no cookie-cutter children; thus, no “one-size-fits-all”
parenting manuals.
So how can we all make
a lasting impact on our children, grandkids or any “littles” in our care? King
Solomon, the wisest man to ever live on this earth, spoke the above verse. Ask
someone for their interpretation and you may get several well-intentioned responses.
One may advocate making sure that your children go to Sunday School, or maybe
you should enroll them in a Christian school. Another may advise teaching them
to be morally upright and obey established rules. Most will agree that the burden
lies with us in actively sharing God’s truths with these dear ones. So what
might that tangibly look like?
Let me share an
example from a young mom I recently had the pleasure of speaking with. She had
her very young daughter in a stroller at a craft show. As they visited a booth
filled with prints and signs that contained mostly words, her daughter became
somewhat animated. After they exited the booth, she kept pointing back to it
and making little sounds as if she wanted to return. Her mother thought that
odd, seeing as how her daughter didn’t know the woman, and there were no toys
to entice her. After they got home, she had her on the changing table and
noticed her pointing to the print on the wall, making the same little sounds as
before. It was a framed Bible verse.
Each of her children
had a verse dedicated to them and hanging in their room. She realized that the
woman had the exact same verse on a print in her booth. This mom had spent much
time reciting the verse with her daughter over and over, pointing to the words
as she spoke them. Even though she could not yet speak the words, this little
one visually recognized those very same words on a print in the booth that day.
The training in her tiny heart had already begun.
Even in the smallest
of children, God’s Word is alive, active and useful for training.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.Whose young life might you have an
impact on?
2. Will
you commit to some spiritual training, as God permits opportunities?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan
is married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible
studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council. She is a member of
the Peace Team at Oakwood and also co-leads an on-site small group.
