Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
God is displeased with the child that goes wayward. It's not that God hasn't seen this problem before though. Children have been going wayward since Cain did in the Good of Genesis chapter 4. And by reading about Cain we can see all that happened to him.
One way this has impact is that the home suffers greatly as a result of a child going wayward. Good parents are grieved by the rebellion of their teenagers. The late teen years are supposed to be a time of preparation to get married and leave the home of mom and dad. However...many teens are leaving the home prematurely to "live their own lives" leaving the parents to claim God's promise of Proverbs 22:6. Oftentimes the children continue to live in rebellion going a way that is contrary to God and the Bible. God's promises are true and faithful. He will bring them back. It just might take years before that happens. So parents need to pray and claim God's promises and wait on God.
What happens too is that when a child goes wayward and rebels...there are always those who will tell the parents that they sheltered their children too much or being the cause of their child leaving the home. Time and time again you will see credibility of Christian parents suffer. II Corinthians 3:2 says "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men." I would rather be accused of sheltering my children too much than to let them be exposed to things they don't need to be in order to escape criticism and ridicule.
Another thing that comes to mind is how limited that wayward child may be as to how God uses them if and/or when they return and get right with God their family and their church. David was never quite the same after his adultery with Bathsheba. If you do a study of the Word of God of those that went wayward you will find they were never what God would have liked them to be had they kept themselves pure and clean with God.
The best thing for a teenager who is struggling with going wayward to do is get in the Word of God and pray for the strength to stay with God and know that your parents aren't being mean. They love you and are doing the best they can to train you up in the way you should go. What way is that? That way is God's way!!
Thank God you have parents who love you enough to want God's best for your life. So many teens are out there today without that love and concern of their parents. And in those cases those teens are on their own.
13 comments:
Mrs Julie great post! How very true that many teenagers go out before God had planned on them leaving. I never thought about doing a study on those that got away from God, and came back but were not the same. Give me something to chew on. Even though those people that say a teenager is too sheltered wait until they get the news there child is on drugs or an alcholic, or they young one is expecting a baby I guarantee that they would wish they sheltered their child. I hate that line of thinking. It is just an excuse to let their child taste the world. Would to God none of our teenagers or young people would have to face the world before they are ready.
Bro Tim
Amen, Sis Julie....I was a wayward one. I remember laying in a hospital bed and my mother coming up to pray with me at 2:00 in the morning while I got some things right with God.
Love your new header.
~Kristi
sis. kristi....I'm redoing my site with the help of a very dear friend of mine. She is working wonders with it. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Sis.Julie, That was a great post. It seems there are some children who want their own way so much that they are willing to destroy all that they had that was good and right. There will be a high cost to be paid for that, I do believe. If that child clamis to be a child of God the cost maybe highter than they are going to want to pay. I pray for all the children in this world who have a rebellion in them that they will not be right with God. connie from Texas
I love your new blog look. It looks like you, A "light House." to all those around about you.
sis. connie...there are several young people I'm praying for that are not right with God and are giving their parents problems. They will regret what they are doing one day unfortunately.
Thank you for noticing my site. I love it!! I've had alot of help though. I really didn't do much.
There are usually two sides to a wayward child. I can agree with you that some children are just rebellious and leave prematurely. However, I have also seen situations where the pastor and the church think someones family life is perfect, and then when the child leaves the home, they blame it entirely on the child because all they have seen from the outside is a "good family". People are good at being hypocrites.
I know of a family right now who goes to church, has several children. People think the family is wonderful and very godly. When one of their children went astray, the entire church blamed the child entirely. What they didn't see was the abuse the child saw every single day. When a family appears to be godly and perfect, but a child has to watch their father beat their mother, and lord over the household and punch some of his children in the stomach when those children don't even know what they did, it is horrible for everyone to blame the child for wanting out.
Anyway I don't disagree with you, I'm just presenting the side that it seems nobody ever bothers to see.
katy-anne....I see what you are saying and I don't disagree with you either. I know there are situations out there like that. However...I wasn't dealing with that side of things. I was dealing with the family that does live for God and is trying with the help of the Lord to raise their kids for Christ and the kids don't want it or rebel against it. This was meant as an encouragement for parents who are doing just that and also a warning to those kids that are in good godly families and are going against their parents and how they are training them. Thank you for your comment.
Yeah I understand where you are coming from for sure. My parents are trying to tell me that if I am "too strict" with my kids that they will rebel. But I don't believe that. I believe I need to raise them right, and if they rebel then that is their heart issue.
We intend to raise our children the way we feel God wants us to. We are hoping that our children will love God and His word so much that they won't rebel like that, but we know that that doesn't always happen. We can try and we can pray though.
Sorry this morning I was thinking about that other persons situation and all the hypocritical stuff surrounding it so I guess it was on my mind more than I thought lol.
katy-anne...not a problem. I pray your kids will do right for y'all. But you're right...all you can do is pray and do what you know to be right!! The rest is up to them!
I agree Julie. The world tells parents that rebellion is a normal part of growing up and every teen goes through it. That's simply not true, and there is such value for a young person who starts their life pure of bitterness and frowardness. I don't think people realize how much rebellion and bitterness warps a young person later in life and makes spiritual thinking difficult.
1 Samuel 3:12-14
12In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
Sis. Julie ~ your post immediately put me in mind of Eli and the news that Samuel had to give him ... his entire house was to be destroyed because he knowingly allowed his sons to sin without correcting them.
It is a parent's God-given duty to offer correction and training to their children. To not do so is dangerous for parent and child.
And, of course, as Katy-Anne alluded to, all Godly correction should be given in love.
Amen to this post Sis. Julie!
sis. sarah joy....you are so right!!
sis. jodi....it is definitely detrimental to a child who is not disciplined. To not discipline a child is to destroy that child and reap consequences later on.
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