Keeping Our Children Close

Parents have a great reponsibility to train up their children according to the ways of God. It is a responsibility that does not end at a certain age. It is a lifetime responsibility. We just recently returned from a visit with our daughter and family in Texas. Our daughter, Monica, is going to be thirty-eight in June. She and Sam have been married since June 2003. Monica has a fifteen year old son, Connor, from her first marriage and she and Sam have a toddler, Elijah, who is nearly two and a half.

Sam and Monica work very hard to train up their children according to the ways of God. This is no easy task. There is the challenge of reaching the mind and heart of a teenager. There is the careful balancing required by Sam as a step father who is attempting to take the spiritual lead in the teaching of Connor in spiritual matters. There is the physical stress of a busy, daily life for Monica as she attempts to keep a household runnung smoothly, keeping the household and business accounts, caring for an energetic toddler, getting Connor to and from school, preparing meals, and running errands. There is sleep deprivation for both Sam and Monica as they cope with not enough time in the day to accomplish all that needs to be done.

So many couples cope with these things every day as they struggle to hold the family dynamic in the world today. Without the guidance and support of the creator, this would be a daunting task. Both Sam and Monica at times find themselves overwhelmed and even discouraged. It is hard for them to see first hand the progress they are making. But as an observer in their home during our visit, I can clearly see that they are doing well and deserve praise for all they are accomplishing.

Their success is the due to their relationship with God and their determination to continue following the guidelines in the Bible for training their children in the ways of God. As a result, their children can say as David did, "Make me know your own ways, O Jehovah; teach me your own paths. Make me walk in your truth and teach me." (Psalms 25: 4 and 5)

An essential attribute for a teacher is patience. This is not an easy attribute to cultivate. It is only human for us to want to see immediate results...obvious successes. But God's timetable is not our timetable. And we can be most thankful that He is so patient with us. "Jehovah is not slow respecting His promise...but he is patient with you..." (2nd Peter 3:9) As teachers, especially, we should imitate God in his patience when teaching, whether it be our children or those we are teaching the Truth. Sam feels especially discouraged but when talking about this frustration with him, I pointed out that he should continue his daily Bible studies with Connor even though he thinks Connor is not listening or taking active participation in the discussion because only God can see into Connor's heart. As a teacher, I cannot say how often a student has said to me years after being in my classroom how much he learned from me, even though I thought he had not heard a word. Persevere in all things to God's glory.