“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he grows old, he shall not depart from it.”
The Importance of Bringing up Your Children in The Way of The Lord
The times we are living in are terrifying times. I can’t open up my YouTube app, without seeing one debate or the other about; if different types of families (like families who have same-sex or trans-gendered parents) should be taught in primary schools, or if a child feels they are trapped in the wrong body, should they be allowed to start their transition early?
All of these talks and debates that are going on are not only an attack on the traditional family but also children. I have heard people say—I worry for the children I will bring into this planet, or with the way the world is going, I’d rather not have kids. All because of the fear of what the world will look like, years after we have left this planet. Will people even know who God is? The good news is that we can still change the future if we put in the work today.
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In one small province in the UK, the head teacher had introduced a book in his school, where young children would learn about the different types of family, which included families with same-sex parents. Parents of the young kids were furious, and about 80% of them kept their kids at home, in a bid to protest for their kids not to learn about that dysfunction at a young age. Now, this community is predominantly Muslim; homosexuality and all its derivatives are frowned upon in the traditional Islam religion.
That is why they rejected this new lesson from the school’s headteacher. The school has since withdrawn the class for the time being. After I watched the video, I was haunted with thoughts of—where then can our kids go to school? How can we protect them from things we don’t believe in? Should we now home school our kids? Then I was comforted with this scripture in the Bible which says—“train up a child, in the way he should go, and when he grows old, he shall not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6, so there is hope.
As Christians, we have to do right by our children. We have to equip them with the word of God. We have to educate them, on the things of this world, and then show them the right way. In the book of Deuteronomy 6:6-9, the Bible says to teach our children diligently, the word of God. It says—talk to them about it when you sit in your houses, when you go for a walk, when you lie down, and when you get up. Write them on your doorposts and the gates of your homes. So when they go out to the world, they are adequately equipped and can choose what is right for them, and not subscribe to the world’s view on things. From this scripture, we can tell that God wants us to take this seriously.
One thing I admire about my cousin, who is a Jehovah’s Witness, is that he spends time, teaching his children, about their religion. Most times when I show up at their house unannounced, the kids are usually in the home office, studying teachings, about their faith. The Muslims do the same thing, as well as the Jews. That is why it is challenging to convince the people in these religions, to convert to Christianity, because it has been ingrained in them.
But somehow, Christians, are lazy when it comes to teaching our children about the word of God. We leave it to their Sunday school teachers, Bible classes in school and what have you. Most times, we don’t even set time aside for God, so our children, don’t see us studying the word or praying. We prioritize other things, above spending time in the word, and teaching our kids to do the same.
We can’t continue like this, especially in the times we are living in. We have to be vigilant. The Bible says that a child left to their own devices will bring shame to the family. If we don’t teach them, the world will teach them. We have to have a zeal for the things of God, so our children can pick up on it. A lot of us here in Nigeria, grew up in Christian homes, but how many of us are still Christians today?
I have seen an increasing number of young adults, migrate into atheistic and agnostic views. For that not to become an epidemic for the next generation, we have to do better, we have to keep the main thing, the main thing if we claim to be Christians. No more time for games and relaxation, we have to step up and bring up our kids in the way of the Lord, so when they grow old, they will not depart from Him.
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About The Author: Evi Idoghor is a Christian, writer and content creator on Letstalknationblog.com. She is a chemical engineering graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Consumed by her love for writing and desire to effect change, she launched her online platform––Let’s Talk Nation––to tap into her creativity and start meaningful conversations that would make a difference around the world.
Most of her writing has been influenced by her time spent in America, where she lived for about 11 years. Also, she lived in Nigeria and South Korea and currently loves traveling the world while learning about other fascinating cultures. You can find her on all social media platforms with @eviidoghor.