Training Children

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

Lately I've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my older brother. At first glance, most people can't believe that we are related, much less siblings who were raised in the same household. The general concensus growing up was that he was the bad seed and I was the sweet little angel. Neither label was ever 100% true. Inherently, I believe we're both good people who were raised with great values. We were taught to have manners, respect our elders and above all, love God. Along the way, though, we both lost our way at times. My brother's losses were more visible than mines and not nearly as easy to cover up. And through all my screw ups, I stayed in school and "did the right thing." Nevertheless, sin is sin and we each will answer for the things that we have done.

Luckily, however, neither my mom or grandmother will be responsible for our actions. They did their best during the time they had with us and because of their teachings, I find myself having conversations I would have considered to be highly unlikely with my brother. The mere ability to talk about God and how awesome he is and to hear my brother say that he's been praying for me, reminds me of what my mom and grandma were trying their best to instill in us all along. And whether they knew it or not then by our actions, I see it clearly coming to fruition now.

As a relatively young mother, I am reminded by this verse that its my responsibility to protect, teach and guide my daughter, Reagan, for the next seventeen years or so. Should she choose to make decisions contrary to what my husband and I would prefer, I will take comfort in knowing that as long as do my job now, she'll always come back to what she was taught at some point!

Seek Wisdom, Find Wealth & Be Blessed . . . .