We the Trainers

Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it. — Proverbs 22:6

…but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. — Matthew 18:6

I’ve been thinking a lot about a recent evening spent with my son, Ethan. He’s 13 and he has been a Christian now for a while. In the words of the folk-band, The Innocence Mission, “Where does the time go?” My wife and I sat by the fire with Ethan, after the girls had gone to bed. In the low light, we reclined enjoying one another’s company. Our conversation naturally wandered toward our Maker. We discussed God’s sovereignty and our part in His unfolding story. We talked about the problem of pain and evil and many things that this subject entails for our faith-walk. Ethan’s comments were carefully considered and mature. In some ways, I felt like I was talking to a peer, rather than a 13-year-old boy. I wondered how this had happened? It feels like just yesterday he was a small boy wearing that red cape his mother made for him, running around shouting, “Duh, duh, duh! I’m Superman!” But now we can sit together and discuss theology? How? The answer is simple. Ethan’s elders, be it his parents, grandparents or church family, have poured into his life a steady stream of Truth. You might have heard the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” or something of that nature. I think this is true. Whether we have our own children or not, we are influencing the younger generations for better or for worse. Today I ask myself, “What in my life would lead a child away from God and what would lead him or her toward God?” The things that would lead them away must go. They must be pruned (John 15:2) from my life. I pray that you would join me in this endeavor, dear reader.