What Every Father Needs to Be

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Although Proverbs 22:6 is often quoted, its underlying meaning is frequently overlooked. A Hebrew phrasing renders the passage like this: “Train up a child according to his individual bent or talent, and when he is old, he will not stray from it.” Pastor and author Larry Christenson describes this principle in his book The Christian Family:

“Every person comes into the world, and comes into the body of Christ, with ‘sealed orders’ - a unique destiny to fulfill. Part of the calling of a parent is to help the child unseal his orders - discover what it is that God means him to be and to do. We are to train up a child not simply in the way that any and every child should go but also in the (specific and unique) way he should go. That means that parents must deal with each one of their children under the creative leading of the Holy Spirit. That does not mean the family becomes a place for rampant individualism, but it does mean the differences in the character and make-up of the children betoken differences in the destiny which God has appointed for each one of them.”

Father, are you helping your child fulfill God’s plan for his life?

“Know well the condition of your flocks...” Proverbs 27:23