Train a Child, Proverbs 22

"Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Proverbs 22:6
My daughter Kayla, Green Belt Karate

Children teach us so much about ourselves. We want our children to have a better life than we did and to avoid our mistakes. My daughter Kayla and I trained for two years in karate and I was impressed at how quickly she learned and how good she was. She has a fierceness and aggressiveness in her that is downright scary. As a parent, it was comforting to know that she now has this training in her subconscious and the self confidence she has as a result of her training.

Children are like sponges. They love to learn something new and explore on their own. We should be available to train them in the path of life. Thise requires more active involvement and guidance.


"Like a Child"

Proverbs 22:15 - "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him."

Spanking children is controversial, but the bible teaches that this is required when raising kids. My children know their are three possible outcomes to their decision to be disciplined. They know the consequences in advance and when they choose to be disciplined, I usually ask them why they made that decision. Their answer normally is "I don't know."

Three outcomes are possible at the corporal punishment stage. They have the opportunity to bring in new information. Maybe I misunderstood the situation and circumstances. Absent of new information, they will receive their "licks" or I may offer them grace.

I believe my children have learned more from grace. With grace they know that they deserve to receive a spanking, but because I love them I set that aside and we pray. We pray that they learned their lesson and they realize that God loves us and he often sets aside our punishment (but we never know what outcome he will choose).

Finally, there are times when grace is not offered and they pay the consequences for their actions. Those are sad and tearful times, but in the end our children realize that we love them deeply and want the very best for them. Fortunately, those times are rare in our household.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org