The Way He Should Go

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

I heard their giggles.  But it wasn't until after.  My front yard looks festive as I type this.  Toilet paper blows lazily in the summer breeze, and my lawn is dotted with glow sticks--burning embers of last night's secret ambush. Although, the secret part only lasted a short while.  The giggly girls wanted the recipient of their hard work to enjoy his surprise. They rang the bell . . . and then knocked . . . and knocked again. They appeared and reappeared five or six times, giggling as they ran to hide in the bushes between attempts. Finally, Brody emerged, very grumpy {but very cute} and shooed them all away. They squealed in delight, a gaggle of tween feet smacking down the alley. Sheer joy.

There are many ways to let a boy know you think he's cute. You can have a friend do it.  Or you can text him.  There's also Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat.  You can smile, wave, and flirt.  And you can toilet paper his house. (Just to name a few.) The way you do it . . . well, that's up to the tween with hearts in her eyes . . . entirely up to her and her giggly gaggle of friends.

{We have been toilet papered many, many times.}

Today's verse reminds me that the way I love and train my children isn't a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. As their parents, the ones with hearts in our eyes, we choose the way that's best.

When my kids were young, I read this verse plainly.  Train up a child in the way he should go...  That way seemed obvious to me. It felt universal--train up my children to love Jesus and follow Him. (It's what we talked about on Friday--teach them what it means to love God, right?)  Training them up, meant saying "no" to inappropriate behavior and redirecting them. It meant teaching them bible verses {oh those sweet, little voices!} and saying our bedtime prayers.  It meant no ice cream before dinner, wash your hands after you go potty, say please and thank you . . . and most of all, it was all the love and snuggles in the world.

It's not quite the same with tweens and teens; is it?

I'm guilty of hopping on bandwagons, and I've got the bruised knees to prove it. I change it up a little every time I'm inspired by a Huff Post article, a Jen Hatmaker blog, a Lisa Clark Tweet . . . I've made sticker charts, goal boards, gratitude journals, chore jars, and the list goes on . . . all sheer inspiration from godly, wise sources! And I thank God for ALL they've taught me! I am a better mom for it!  Ultimately though, I am not as funny as Jen Hatmaker.  I am not as wise as Lisa Clark.  I don't have the voices of James Dobson, Robert Wolgemuth, and Beth Moore in my head.

But I have the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, God knows the way to their hearts. The effective means of discipline.  The perfect words of encouragement.  Their love languages.  He knit them and formed them together. They are His masterpiece. Let's go to Him. This morning, let's pray for wisdom in how to train our children.  Let's ask God for His eyes and mind to really "see" our children today. To love them as they need to be loved.  To pour forth all that He gives as we make our requests known with sheer gratitude. And let's listen. He will whisper the way--and it will always align with His Word. And our children, they will not depart from it when they grow old.