Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Growing up as a young boy I really didn’t know much about God. He seemed aloof, distant, even remote. If there was a God, I could never approach Him; I mean, how does one even get to that place where they believe they can converse with the creator of the universe, l didn’t think I could do that, let alone that He would want to use me in His kingdom.

As I entered into my teen years this presupposition grew even bigger. Aimless and undirected, I lost sight of who I was and slid into a world of darkness. Yes, Satan, the roaring lion who sought to devour me (1 Peter 5:8)…the father of lies deceived me with great desire (John 8:44)…the enemy who was out to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) set me up for failure and threw every curveball at me to accomplish his task. That task was to keep me far away from the Living God, the Light of the world (2 Corinthians 4:1-6; John 8:12).

Little did I realize that even as a young boy at the age of seven, my mother was planting and watering my soul and cultivating within me a heart that would one day come to know the God of my salvation (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). One day I would surrender my life to the one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-21). In her love and gentleness, my mother planted in me a seed of prayer…setting me on my knees beside my bed as she set the example of a humble spirit before God whom she had come to know through her grandfather. He raised her to be a little girl mindful of daily prayer (Luke 11:1; 2 Timothy 1:5).

As parents, what seeds are you planting and cultivating within your child?

Seasons came, and years swiftly passed, and the love of a pastor planted the next seed in my life: the forgiveness of God and His merciful grace. This same God whom I had come to know as a young boy through my mother’s prayerful example, came to meet me as a young adult. It now made sense. Those years that had been darkened with dismay, confusion, depression, and a deteriorated self-image that the enemy, Satan, had so cunningly used to foil me from seeing the light, now became the very crucible of my strength by the power of God. Did God really want to use this tarnished vessel? Broken and dirty? Could He really use me to do His work within the kingdom of His love (1 Peter 2:9-12)?

Listen, as parents, you have been entrusted with gifts here on earth…those gifts are your children, regardless of their age. Never underestimate the power of God working through your relentless prayers. Never stop demonstrating the realness of God’s redeeming power through your example and testimony. Continue to teach your children about the power of prayer and obedience, grace and forgiveness. Teach them about His unwavering and unchanging love and the strength of His Holy Spirit nestled deep and mightily within. Come alongside them and help them to know Christ in this life through our sorrows, sufferings, and pain. Show them the joy of perseverance and persistence of a living faith that is unshakeable and unconquerable. Above all, enlighten them about our heavenly destination yet to come (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 8:12-17; James 1:16-18; 1 John 5:3-5; 1 Peter 1:3-9; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)!

“Be the parent today that you want your kids to remember tomorrow” (author Unknown).

Listen to this 17-year old’s desperate plea to God as she writes:

“Lord,

Here I am, not sure of what I’m doing here or who I am. After being pulled under several times this week, my self-image can barely stay afloat. If another wave hits, I may go under.

Does anybody understand? Does anybody care how I feel – how much I’m hurting? I guess that’s why I turn to you, God. You love me.

You know me.

You have a plan for me.

You listen to me.

And you, Creator of all, created me.”

At first, this letter sounds dark and hopeless, but it is anything but that! This child, no doubt, has learned where her help comes from. She knows that the world and the people in the world can make her feel inadequate and unseen and although she feels she may go under, she has been taught how to reach out to her Savior for her rescue.

If there’s any Godly command that you, as a parent, must do to inoculate your child from a world filled with lusts, busyness, pain, and vain philosophies, it would be to instill within your child(ren) the message of Jesus’ love and how He has a plan for their lives—for your life, too (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Ephesians 6:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Jeremiah 29:11-13). Help them to see that they were created with a purpose and that they are CHOSEN!

I owe to the Lord the victorious restoration of my life because of Christ’s atoning death at Calvary (Matthew 20:17-19; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Colossians 1: 21-23; Romans 8:37-39). I thank Him for those many faithful servants He sent to mentor me. To my mother (1921-2018) whose seed of prayer ever abides within me and to that brave pastor who came to an unknown young man lost in great darkness…now freed by the Gospel of Christ. What’s the direction and purpose you’re instilling within your child’s heart that will take them into eternity with the Lord?