Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6
READING: Proverbs 22
There’s at least one other way that church planting resembles the family farm. All the children can be well-respected co-laborers on the family farm, helping the family to earn its collective living. But, as with farming, there comes a day when each child should be given the opportunity to make an adult decision about whether to make farming – or church planting – his or her own calling.
So it’s good to discuss the appropriate boundaries of our expectations for our church planter children. Let me begin with an observation about this verse in Proverbs. Some overbearing parents down through the years have misinterpreted this verse to imply that by our zealous training we can force our children to adopt our beliefs or our career. I was a preacher’s kid myself, raised in this type of manipulative environment. It repelled me, making it more difficult for me to wholeheartedly embrace an adult commitment to Christ, let alone full-time ministry (even though I had, in point of fact, been called to ministry).
Rather, this verse wisely observes that as parents we should train our children in “the way he should go” – a uniquely tailored way – and thus prepare each of our children to fulfill their God-given potential in a healthy way.
Although we made no apology for expecting our two sons to chip in and help out at church while they lived under our roof, we never pressured them to become church planters. We prayed for them to discover God’s call for their lives and to follow Him wholeheartedly into whatever career He directed.
Dear Father, Please bless my children and give me wisdom to train them in such a way that they will gladly follow You wherever You lead them. Amen.
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