Notes
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Proverbs 22:6
When we train children in the way they should go, they will grow up with the tools to hit the bullseye. This verse in Proverbs gives us guidelines on parenting and helping the next generation grow into who God designed them to be.
1) Understand where you want your child to go
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33
Have a vision of the spiritual direction you want your child to go. Direct them to the path of God’s purpose for them. Don’t let your child shoot their life aimlessly! If we don’t have a clear vision for them, someone else will fill that spot.
2) Understand your child’s personality
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Proverbs 22:6
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. 4 Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. 5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
Psalm 127:3-5
Archers have different types of arrows in their quiver, arrows made with different materials, weights, and bends. Like an archer’s arrows, every person is different. We learn in different ways, we have different temperaments, and we have different strengths and weaknesses. Figure out how your child works and seek to understand their personality specifically. Then, train them by the way they are wired. Know your child like an archer knows their arrows.
3) Understand that it’s hard work
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Proverbs 22:6
To train for anything, you have to put in hours of effort. And training is a continuous process if you want to keep your skills up. Don’t just turn your child loose to learn from anyone and everything. Train them by letting them know when they get things right, and correcting them when they are wrong. Challenge them to strengthen their God-given gifts.
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children learn how to honor by looking at the adults around them, especially their parents. They learn how to act based on how we treat other people. How we treat others will be reflected by our children. Parents aren’t perfect and will make mistakes. But the responsibility of a parent, and of every believer, is to reflect God so that the next generation can come to know Him.
Group Questions
- Tell us about your children. (If you don’t have children, tell us about the young people in your life.)
- What makes those children unique? What are the strengths and talents you can see in them?
- What are you doing now to train them for their God-given purpose?
- What else can you be doing to better train them for the future?
Prayer
Thank you for the children in our lives. We want to see them grow into people who live for your Kingdom with everything they are. Help us as we train them to follow you.