One of the ways I heard my mother express her faith in God and in His ability to fulfill His promises was when she recited Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Any time she began to worry about any of her children, she was quick to think of this verse and share it with any other parent who showed concern for their young.
As I grew older, I interpreted what she was saying as her assurance and trust that because she and Dad had trained us, although we might lose our way for a while, we would always return.
Once I became a parent, though, I realized that “training a child” meant more than saying something to him once. It meant more than taking him to Sunday school and leaving him there. It meant more than a once-a-year kind deed.
Training a child means immersing him in a Christ-like life-style, which is what my parents did. It means parents set examples of prayer, Bible study, beneficial speech, and regular worship with joy. It includes hospitality to all, respect for elders, and work in the Lord’s vineyard, no matter how humble the chore.
That takes more than just mouthing words. It takes dedication to God, Jesus living in my heart, and strength from the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul tells us how in Ephesians 6:4, noting the importance fathers have in the training.
As an educator, I learned that the first four years of a child’s life are crucial. How that child is handled will determine to a great extent what his personality will be. Without a lot of love and hugs, a child will be hostile or have hostile tendencies more than one who receives warm hugs. As he grows through his primary years, a child is best bent, as it were, before “the tree is grown.” Values, traditions, manners, and Bible doctrines must be taught and lived on a day-to-day basis during those formative years.
A minister jolted my world at a conference one day by saying “The book of Proverbs is just that, proverbs, or wise sayings from Solomon’s time. He was just repeating them. They aren’t really promises from God.”
I worried that what he said meant that, as a parent, I was trusting in something without merit! But, I reasoned, these proverbs are in the Bible, so surely the Proverbs of the Old Testament are inspired of God, and surely God will honor those statements.
Reviewing those verses since then, I was still trying to ferret out the true meaning of the proverb. “Will not depart” does not mean “return.” I was probably incorrect in thinking that children could leave the Lord, His church, and His disciplines, yet count on returning some day because of this promise.
If we truly train a child, that training, those values and truths, will never leave or depart from the child. He may want to try his independence for a time, but what his parents instilled in him will never leave him. It is his choice whether to follow that teaching or not.
From personal experience, I know that each time I thought I wanted to rebel or do something against what my parents had taught me, I could always “hear” their voices stressing the right way. The choice to listen and obey or disobey was mine to make, but the “training” I received never has left me.
So, instead of a promise from God, Proverbs 22:6 may just be a guide or a wise principle, but it’s a good one! Although our own children may be grown now, there are other young people in our family or in the congregation that we may mentor or “train up.” I pray that God will help us instill His values into their hearts so that they will accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. I pray also that the Holy Spirit will continue to help us overcome temptation and keep our lives as good examples to the young ones.
Joyce Broyles is a Retired School Librarian and Student of the Bible and resides in Jennings, LA.