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

Much has been made of this verse by various good teachers, but reading it in two languages just now, what strikes me most is that it is probably not wise to be overly dogmatic about specific meanings in this or many other passages. Not reading or speaking modern Hebrew, much less the Hebrew from the time this was written, I cannot say which shades of meaning are most accurate. However, that’s not to say that we can’t get a lot out of this verse. The big thrust to me is to start early. The English uses “child” and the Japanese uses “young person,” but we aren’t to wait too long. A secular English proverb says, “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.” The younger a person – or plant – is, the more malleable they are. It is dangerous to let random circumstances be the major influence on a child/young person’s life. The English says “train” and the Japanese says “educate,” but either way it is an intentional process. This is where parents often drop the ball, because they don’t have a clear image of what sort of person they want their child to be, and end up being directionless in their parenting. That’s not to say they should plan their children’s occupations from infancy, but rather to think about what character traits they want to foster, such as honesty, kindness, initiative, and the like. Sometimes we dismiss such things as being “part of their personality,” and so don’t try to engender them. Whereas it is true that motivational gifts influence us greatly, and parents should seek to recognize and foster their children’s gifting, some things apply across the board, and those are the things parents should be most careful about.

My parents weren’t perfect by any means, but I think they got passing scores in this area. The four of us siblings still have strong values in most of the areas that count. (Of course, I’m likely to think the areas in which I am strong are most important!) I have seen this in my own children, who have had their times of deviation but have tended to come back on course, so to speak. The problem is that this principle is being lost from much of society, and I need to be available to the Lord as a corrective influence. The bad elements haven’t forgotten the principle. A pedophile organization had the motto of “Sex before eight or it’s too late,” and homosexuals in the US today are downright rabid in their efforts to get homosexuality taught as acceptable in elementary schools today. I need to be a voice reminding those with better motives that they cannot let their children’s moral and emotional education slide, even when the negative influences aren’t so blatant.

Father, as a physically distant grandparent I would seem to be somewhat out of the loop on this issue, but You know how You want to use me, and I make myself available. I pray that I would be faithful to speak Your truth in love whenever and however You give me the opportunity, so that Your truth may tear down the lies of the enemy and set people free. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done, in Japan, the US, and around the world, for the salvation of multitudes and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!