The Way is the Way

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

~Proverbs 22:6

My wife and I will be having another child this Fall!  We will have a 20 year old and 10 year old and a newborn.  We will pretty much be parenting in every stage of life.  As this newborn enters the world, I am reminded of how truly important the foundational years are for setting up our children for success as Christ-followers later on in life.

So many students after graduating from high school graduate from their faith.  The statistics are staggering right now.  George Barna, who does a lot of church-related research, found that nearly 70% of teens who grew up in church leave for various reasons in the late teens.  Many of the twenty-somethings are gone.  But there are still families with young children who want to raise their children in the Lord, much like their parents did for them.  There is hope.

The promise from Proverbs above is that if we do our work early in raising our children in a godly manner, then they have what they need to return to it later in life.  So, don't give up.  While you have your kids in your home continue to fight for their faith.  Lead by example.  We pray with our kids every night before bed.  When there is a question that comes up from school, we take that thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).  We can do so much more, but we are trying to show them what it's like to follow Jesus in this fallen world.  Hopefully, if they turn to their own ways, they will return to God's ways when they need Him most.