Teach & Train

I will open my mouth in a parable;

    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
    that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children
    but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
    and the wonders that he has done.

He established a testimony in Jacob
    and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
    so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
    but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Psalm 78: 2-8 (ESV)

A Bible study leader said to me recently, "Everyone home schools. Some may choose to delegate things to others. If parents send their children to public or private school, then they are delegating their child's academics to other adults. Even still, it is primarily the parents' responsibility to teach and train their kids in all areas of life." All I could think was, "Amen!"

When did it become acceptable for parents to believe their job stops when their children start school? When did it become the norm for parents to let their kids do whatever they want because it is easier than correcting their behavior? And when did parents become so busy with worldly things that they forget the most important thing? I don't know exactly when it happened or if it's always been this way, but I find myself fighting these pagan philosophies on a daily basis in my own home. 

We, as parents, must be sober-minded and dedicated in our homes so that children will be trained and taught the One thing that matters more than all the other things consuming our time. As Psalm 78 reveals, we must not hide the good things of the Lord from our children; we must teach them about Him. In addition, we must train them. If we don't follow God's command to do so, then we must not be surprised when our children are ignorant of truth and suffer because of our laziness and disobedience.

I pray that my husband and I will continue to teach our children about God's amazing grace so that they will learn from our mistakes. I pray they will keep His commandments because of our willingness to teach them truth, hold them accountable to it, and show them grace and mercy as our Father does to us.