FROM KINDERGARTEN TO CONVERTIBLES
Train a child in the
way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6 NIV
The square, bent-edged
photo captures me in the driveway of our small 1950’s frame house in
Wichita, Kansas. I am wearing too-short bangs, a too-long dress, white
ankle socks and clutching my new school binder. First-day-of-school
excitement and apprehension give me a goofy expression—as if the bangs
and ankle socks weren’t enough. What could my mother have been thinking?
Fast forward. I gaze
through the 1970’s-style picture window framed by orange drapes, a
toddler at my side and baby on my hip. My oldest, balancing a backpack
three-fourths his size, marches bravely toward the big yellow bus. He’s
eager for kindergarten. I’m not. As the bus pulls away, his face presses
against the window, bearing that reminiscent goofy look. I should have
kept him back a year. What could I have been thinking?
Life, it seems, is a
continuous cycle of learning. From the “book learnin’”, as grandma
called it, through the plethora of practicalities gleaned from awful but
adjustable errors in judgment—like too-short bangs, white socks and
orange drapes. Hard lessons come as well, swirling like dry leaves on a
September breeze, some tinged with frosty regret. Would another year of
maturity have helped my eldest son make better choices later in life?
Some things we’ll never know.
It is then we must learn life’s most important lesson: to
trust the all-knowing One. In God’s great textbook Professor Solomon
illustrates this lesson: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
So the cycle of
learning continues. That baby on my hip in the ‘70s is now bound for
college. As we wave him out of the driveway en route to our Midwestern
alma mater, my tears begin to flow. Life and learning seem to have come
full-circle.
But that’s not why I’m
crying.
He is driving my red
convertible. Lord, what could I have been thinking?
Turning Over A New Leaf
One of the scriptures
most often served to Christian parents on a promise platter is Proverbs
22:6. Some see it as a guarantee.
IF we train our children, THEN they
won’t turn away. Certainly seems like a foolproof formula, doesn’t it?
The part that’s a bit hard to digest is that little phrase “when he is
old”, indicating that in some cases we might have to wait awhile. As
Christians we train our children by instilling scriptural values,
sharing knowledge and experience, and providing opportunities for
Christian education. The rest, very simply, belongs to God.
Are you anxious about
your children’s well-being and future? Do you have children who have
turned from faith? Keep dropping those time capsules of truth into their
lives. I can guarantee you this. God will never let them forget.
Lord, we thank you for
your holy Word which you promise will never return void. Hide it not
only in our hearts, but our children’s as well. We commit them once
again to you by name, asking that you guard and protect them even as you
complete your cycle of learning in their lives. Amen.
Every fall when I see the kids starting back to school, I get
a little nostalgic. Then I hear about some of the things they’re learning in
school these days and I get a little scared. That’s why it’s so important that
we take time with our children while they are young and impressionable to
instill important biblical values. Along those lines, maybe you’ll enjoy this
story from my devotional, Simple Seasons, that talks about...