Fear No Fear

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, MEV). God loves us enough to show us the model for discipleship. We should disciple people like we raise our children and we should raise our children like we disciple. What does that mean? It is our responsibility to introduce our children to the Lord. We’re not to drill morals into them and give them a set of rules to follow. We’re to help them learn who God is, what His character is, what His morals are, and how to hear His voice. How to LISTEN to the Lord. How to spend time with Him. Just like they would with you, their parent, or a friend. We’re to foster relationship between them. We do it in simple ways when they are young, and in increasingly deeper ways as they age. We’re not indoctrinating them. They need to learn critical thinking. They need to learn to ask questions. What we are doing is limiting the voices from outside God’s kingdom to where they should be: outside. If we don’t let our children watch and listen to content that sexualizes them prematurely – explaining why at age-appropriate levels – they won’t go off on a spiral of sexual activity. It won’t be a major temptation because it won’t be something they’re thinking about all the time. The same goes for drugs, smoking, drinking, violence, poor social habits, intolerance, racism, etc. We can tackle these issues as they come up because our kids won’t be trying to hide them from us. They’ll be part of the discussion with us as we take it to God to find out what HE thinks. That’s the important thing. We’re teaching our kids to discover what the LORD says about issues. We’re listening to the Lord together. We’re seeking the Word and studying it out. We’re asking questions and not blindly following. We’re getting to know the Lord and learning to let Him lead. Learning to let Him show the way. Yes, there will be bumps in the road. But that’s the advantage of showing them how to have a relationship with the Lord. He can handle the bumps. He’s a good teacher. A good guide. A good corrector. This is what discipleship is. Learning to have a relationship. If we do it right and train our kids to both think for themselves and to investigate what God says about things – through the Word and through speaking to us – they won’t depart. They’ll continue the relationship. They’ll nurture it. They’ll embrace it. They won’t end up out in the weeds at the mercy of every wind that blows by. They’ll be right where you try to live: in the BLESSING zone. Hand in hand with the Lord.