18 June | EVERYONE

INSTRUCT THE CHILD

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

A twelve-year-old boy read a science fiction book and decided not to go to school anymore. His mother took him to the doctor, who asked him, “What is wrong with you? Why don’t you want to study?” The child answered, “Why? If the world will ultimately be destroyed? I do not see any reason to do anything if, in the end, it is all going to be over.”

The mother, nervous, exclaimed, “That is none of your business! It has nothing to do with you!” The doctor, for his part, advised: “But, William, you do not need to worry. When that time comes, we will all be dead.” The doctor was right, but could that answer alone bring real comfort to the child?

Certainly, we will all die one day; however, the wise Solomon, in today’s proverb, does not speak of death but of life. Solomon often uses the illustration of the path to teach the power of decisions and their consequences. It refers to the way of wisdom and life in contrast to the way of foolishness and destruction. By instructing children along the way, we teach them to distinguish between good and evil.

The mission of parents and educators concludes with instruction, since the child grows and makes his or her own decisions, which are not always consistent with the instruction they received; but God’s promise is that, even if for a time a person chooses the path of evil, the instructions received in their childhood will be in their heart and they will eventually return to the right path.

What a consoling hope for their parents and educators!

Take Action

Don’t the principles and advice your parents and educators gave you come to mind as the years go by? When you yourself educate others with a similar love, the effect will be equally valuable. Decades will pass and they will still remember your words.