As a parent you either accelerate or stifle your child’s giftedness. The Bible says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Proverbs 22:6) That doesn’t mean when you set your kids on the right path they’ll never leave it. No, salvation is the work of God (1 Corinthians 3:6). So what does this Scripture mean? The Amplified Bible says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent]’. Note the word ‘bent’. The Benefits of Reading God's Word
As a parent you hold the bow, and your child is the arrow. So pray for God’s help in recognising your child’s strengths and giftedness and aim them ‘in the way [he or she] should go.’ The fact is God pre-wired your infant, pre-programmed your toddler’s strengths, set your teen on a trajectory, and then gave you an eighteen-year research project! So ask yourself, ‘What sets my child apart?’ Childhood tendencies often forecast adult abilities. Read them. Discern them. Affirm them. Cheerlead them.
Think about the life of Joseph. At seventeen he saw dreams and visions of himself as a leader (Genesis 37:2–10). And as an adult he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and ended up leading the nation (Genesis 40–41). As a boy David displayed two strengths: fighting and music. Later he killed a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34–37). And he played skilfully on the harp (1 Samuel 16). Fighting and music dominated David’s adult life, and are largely what he’s remembered for today. So strive to understand, appreciate and channel your child’s uniqueness. You Need Faith
Raising your child ‘in the way he should go’ means being aware of:
(1) Their interests. John Ruskin said, ‘Tell me what you like, and I’ll tell you what you are.’ What do your children like? Numbers? Colours? Activities? The greatest gift you can give them isn’t your riches, but revealing to them their own.
(2) Their relationships. What statement best characterises your child?
a) ‘Follow me, everyone.’
b) ‘I’ll let you know if I need help.’
c) ‘Can we do this together?’
d) ‘Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.’
Don’t characterise loners as aloof, or crowd-seekers as arrogant. God designed them that way. What gives your child satisfaction and makes them say, ‘Yes’? Do they love the journey, or the destination? Do they like to keep things straight, or straighten things out? What thrills one child bothers another.
(3) Their environment. A cactus thrives under different conditions from a rosebush. What soil does your child grow in? Some love to be noticed while others prefer to hide in the crowd. Some do well taking tests, others excel in the subject but stumble when it comes to exams. Winston Churchill repeatedly failed tests in school, yet he changed history. We only excel when we’re in the right environment. What Is a Parent To Do
(4) Their strengths. At two, Van Cliburn played a song on the piano as a result of hearing someone teaching in an adjacent room. His mother noticed, gave him lessons, and the kid from Kilgore, Texas, won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. Resist the urge to label your children before studying them, and ask God to help you understand their uniqueness.
More Reading: 2 King 13–15, Luke 20:9–26, Psalm 26, Proverbs 7:26–2
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