Train Up a Child

Train up a Child 

Wise son – glad father;

Stupid son – sad mother.

Proverbs 10:1 

The dynamics within a family are an absolute mystery to me.  How can a set of children grow up with the same mother and father, the same socio-economic conditions, the same schools, the same playmates, and yet turn out so incredibly different – from each other, from their parents, from the culture in which they were raised.  As parents, we try to pass on to our children our core values, beliefs and faith.  Although some of that “sticks,” some of it does not.  My oldest daughter said to me one time, “Mom, you act as though we didn’t hear what you said.  We heard you clearly, but that does not mean that we agreed with you, or that we believe the same way.”

The temptations that confronted my generation are as nothing compared to what my children faced, and theirs will pale in comparison to what will confront their children.  All we can do as parents is our best.  That sounds woefully inadequate, but it is the honest truth.  We live and teach faith, integrity, and responsibility, then open our hands and let wings take flight.  As we watch our children establish their own lives, our hearts turn to patience, hope and prayer – lots of prayer.

* 

I cast all my cares upon You.

I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet.

And any time I don’t know what to do,

I will cast all my cares upon You.

The Faith We Sing, No. 2215