Taking “Training Up a Child” to a Whole New Level

During this unexpected schooling-at-home, I have received so much entertainment from many of my friends. I’ve watched some hilarious antics, as well as creative YouTube videos of moms becoming “at-home-school” principals. One meme said: “Homeschool Day 1: Wondering how I can get this kid transferred out of my class”. Another one said: “It’s Day 1 of Homeschool: Out of the four of us, only three of us cried.” And, this one: “Home Schooling Update: My child just said I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year.”

I was able to fly the coop to my Austin family. I'm enjoying my two youngest grands with their homeschooling. Bryson, age 13, is good at it since he's been homeschooled for years. Brennan, age 15, has adapted well. I witnessed him creating and giving a presentation via video in several locations around their property with creativity and ingenuity. Amazing!

Homeschooling wasn't a consideration back in my day. But, church-schooling was. In those years, we learned every Bible story and memorized a lot of scriptures. Even in those early years, we learned to call upon the God of those Bible stories and scriptures to be our "help". The older we became, the more we realized that all of those years of child training established us in life. We carried those same principles on, and into our children, who are leading their own children by that example.

I’ve loved seeing the moms and dads who are integrating Bible stories and scriptures into their homeschooling during this quarantine. The scripture “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he’ll not depart from it” is an ANCHOR scripture from Proverbs 22:6. What if God allowed these times to be the foundation for their present and future – even to the extent of their future children someday?

Children are so impressionable in their environments. Where there is abusive language and actions or where there is calm and patience – they will potentially take on as their normal. They learn by example. I realize our faith was built upon the example of our parents and what they taught us from the way they loved each other and spoke to or about each other. They instilled in us the fortitude, tenacity, unwavering faith and strength to draw from, and to know that God loves us unceasingly. They taught us that when the going gets tough and pressures seem insurmountable, we have a confidence in knowing God is able and willing to meet our every need. We know our hope and trust was, and always will be, in the One whose steadfast love never ceases and His faithfulness will always carry us through.

Seriously, dear moms and dads – my heart goes out to you and what you have been forced to take on during this time of quarantine. Hopefully, you’ll never be in these circumstances again after this quarantine ends. But, more than that, I pray these words impress you enough to never stop training your children and grandchildren in the ways they should go. I promise you...it is worth the effort!

Train Up a Child in the Way He or She Should Go

My husband and I grew up as “church” kids. Our parents ensured that we were in church every time the doors opened – Sunday School, Sunday morning and night services, Wednesday night service, Thursday night youth services, and when an evangelist came into town, church was every night of the week. Back in those early years, we learned every Bible story, every hymn and chorus (and the actions), and memorized a lot of scriptures. As children, it was so sweet to know God. Our needs were met, and our wants were provided for, and pressures only came with a big test or exam, or disappointment in a friend.

Even in those early years, we learned what it was to call upon the God of those Bible stories, scriptures and songs to be our "help". And, the older we got, the more we discovered, that all of those years of “child training” established us in life. In fact, we carried those same principles on, and into our children, who are leading their own children by that example.

Now, I realize that our faith was built upon those principles – for example – the same God that kept Daniel in the lion’s den and the three Hebrew boys in the firey furnace, that helped David slay the giant, that opened the Red Sea for Moses, and more than all that, the same God that gave us His only Son who went about doing good, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, died on a rugged cross, was buried and rose from the dead....is the same God who loves us and desires to perform His good works in us today!

That’s what our Moms and Dads really gave us -- they were instilling in us the fiber, the fortitude, the tenacity, the unwavering faith and strength to draw from, and to know that our God loves us unceasingly, and that when the going gets tough and pressures seem insurmountable, we have a confidence in knowing, God is able and willing to meet our every need. We know our hope and trust was, and always will be, in the One whose steadfast love never ceases and His faithfulness will always carry us through. I sure hope these words impress you enough to train your children and grandchildren in the ways they should go. I promise you...it is worth the effort!