Training up our Children: Part I

I have been listening to this wonderful CD series that was recommended by Jennifer. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time I listen to all of the tapes. They have been encouraging as well as challenging.

The speaker has stirred in my heart a definite desire to be more purposeful about training my children in the Lord. I have been praying about and meditating on two specific verses:

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows old, he will not depart from it."

Psalm 127:3-5, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

Training my children is clearly an important task requiring time, energy, and commitment. Yet as you read, research, and talk to people you find a zillion and one ways to accomplish this task. So it was time for us to find the way God has in store for our family.

When we began discussing this task in a purposeful manner, Eric and I agreed that we haven’t had a real vision or plan for our family in the larger context. We have been simply “getting by” with strategies to deal with different situations as they arise.

So we sat down one night and began hashing out some thoughts. We want to sharpen the little arrows in our home so that they will fly straight and hit the center of the target in God’s plan for their lives!

A lot of various topics are part of this training but we are focusing on discipline right now. We have always disciplined our kids, but have never really laid out an overall vision for our family.

What is the goal of our discipline? What means can we use to achieve it? What are our rules and why aren’t they all written out? How can we encourage our kids to obey our authority? Do we want to do rewards? What are consequences for disobedience?

Clearly, there is a lot on my mind. I thought I would take some time to write out some of the ideas we are implementing in our home. Please know that we are working through these ideas and they aren’t perfect…because we are far from perfect.

But we are covering our plans with a lot of prayer and seeking God’s wisdom in this area. It’s been seven years since we had our first child and it is about time for us to really give this area over to God completely and trust Him to guide our plans. I am praying that He will instill in our minds a vision for our family, so that when we grow weary in the area of discipline, He will give us the strength to persist.

Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed."