Proverbs 22:6,13
Train a child in the way he should go, --
Start him off on the right path for him, according to his "bent."
and when he is old he will not turn from it. --
When he grows older, he will have it to fall back onto, or it will keep him on the right path for him.
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, --
Foolishness, childishness, is natural in a child, but he needs to learn that fun is not the goal in life, and it will never satisfy.
but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. --
Whether it is an actual rod or paddle for a spanking, a time-out, a withholding of privileges, extra assigned chores, or whatever, a child needs to experience (not be rescued from) the consequences of his actions and choices, in order to learn how to make wise, right decisions in his life.
We, as parents and grandparents, are given the most solemn responsibility ever devised in this world: to prepare the next generation for God. Faith is often lost in just one generation, so we need to view this opportunity to have input into the lives and thinking processes of those who come after us very seriously, to influence them for good and make sure they understand clearly what is important both in this life and in the next.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
