Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

For the last 16 years I have spent my life, morning, noon and night, raising my three boys.  I have worked hard to give them a stable environment where they know they are safe and loved so that they can just be kids.  I’ve tried to expose them to different kinds of sports, music, theater, movies, museums, and food so that they can try everything and figure out what they like for themselves. 

But when it comes to God, I didn’t do that.  I didn’t give them a choice.  I decided that we were going to church on Sunday morning to learn about Jesus and that was that.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I made the wrong decision.  Sometimes we must make decisions for our children because they don’t know what’s best for themselves . . . yet.  But at some point, our children are going to have to make up their own minds about whether they believe in God or not. 

The Bible says we should “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  It is my job to share Jesus with my children.  To teach them how to talk to Jesus and how to hear Jesus talking to them through His Word.  It is my job to show them how important it is to have a church family that comes together to worship and learn more about Jesus regularly.  It is my responsibility to bring Jesus into our home and to talk about how Jesus would have handled life.  It is my honor to pray for my children and with my children so that they can learn to pray too. 

But even if you do ALL these things, it is not a guarantee that your child will believe in Jesus.  That’s because it is not what you do, but what the Holy Spirit does in your child’s heart that will bring him or her closer to Jesus.   So, I encourage you to do all those things I mentioned above and more.  Give your sons and daughters every opportunity you can to hear the Word and to invite the Holy Spirit into their lives. 

Dear Lord, thank you for sending your son to die on the cross to redeem us.  Please place a hedge of protection around our children.  May their eyes see, and their ears hear what you are trying to tell them.  In Jesus name, Amen.