Is there a Bible verse or passage of scripture that stands out to you as a parent? 

I remember vividly my parents telling me about Proverbs 22:6:

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

It was probably during my teen years that my parents shared this verse with me. I was always a curious child and asked a lot of questions. I wanted to understand the things of this life on a deeper level. I longed to discover meaning in the simple, the painful, the happy and the waiting. If you were raised in a Christian home, have you ever wondered whether or not you would have come to believe in Jesus had your parents not raised you to do so? Maybe you were not raised in a Christian home, but sometime during your teen or early adult years, you chose to accept Christ as your Savior despite the fact that the rest of your family did not agree.

I tend to think I would have found my path to God early on in my life simply because of my quest for truth and meaning. As a young girl, I was not content to believe this earth is all we have. I felt a spiritual connection to things unseen, deep within my soul. I'll always be grateful that my parents put in the work and took our family to church twice on Sunday AND Wednesday for years and years. 

I believe they had Proverbs 22: 6 in their minds as they raised my brother and I. Children are SO very thirsty for knowledge. I see this in my own kids. They long to understand and absorb and I was able to witness recently this unquenchable thirst in my 7 year old as he sat alone and opened up his Bible to read. 

I remember a time in my early teen years, after returning from summer camp at The Wilds, that God placed a burden on my heart for those who did not know the Lord. It wasn't just a burden in wanting to make sure they knew heaven is a real place and we have the choice to accept it. It was a burden that there are people in the world who do not know this peace. I remember wanting every single person to be able to experience what a relationship with God was really like. 

I came home from camp and shared the gospel with my best friend who lived across the street. We had grown up together, spending every single day discovering new adventures. We pretended his swing set was a roller coaster at Kings Dominion. We played "the hiding game" with all of the neighborhood kids which entailed one person being "it", a home base, and having to chase down the person you found before they reach base. We utilized an area on our street of about 4 to 5 houses and an alley that ran behind them. We hid in backyards that did not belong to us and then bolted across our neighbors lawns, knowing all of the possible shortcuts. 

My friend and I were inseparable and as a young 10 year old girl, my heart was burdened for him. You see, his parents were divorced and his home life differed from my own drastically. He began to eat breakfast at our house in the mornings before school and then we would walk to school together. After school, we would walk home and he would go into his house and I, mine. We would say, "see you in a little while". Shortly after arriving home, sorting through school work and grabbing a snack, I would look out of our front window to see if he had emerged from his house yet.  

One particular day, while sitting on his front steps (which is what we did most of the time), he became more interested in hearing about Jesus. Sure, we had spoken about God numerous times over the years, but on this day, his heart was wide open and he felt the Holy Spirit tugging. 

He repeated after me, in my 10 year old way, a prayer accepting Jesus into his heart. We began to bring him to youth group with us and I remember the change I began to see in him. The cussing began to go away and his internal moral compass came to the forefront. 

I'll never forget the moment that my friend got saved. I'll always remember how I prayed for him every single day and then out of the clear blue sky, God said, "Today's the day". 

As I think about my two young sons nearing that age, I pray for their hearts to be burdened for others. It is my prayer that all of this "training up" will equip them to one day share why they believe what they believe to a person that God brings across their path. 

Do you have a verse or passage in the Bible that encourages you as a parent? God certainly speaks about parenting MANY times in the Bible. I found this concise, but important list of Bible verses that have encouraged me and hopefully you as well.

Verses on Parenting

I wanted to share the story about my friend that lived across the street because I think it is the perfect example of God's timing. He had been cultivating that friendship for 8 to 10 years before we were both ready to have that conversation. God sees the extended version of our lives. Be encouraged and have faith that as you train up your kids to have a relationship with the Lord, though they may wonder down a different path at times, they will one day dig through their memories and find peace once again. Never give up. 

As I bid you adieu, I'd like to leave you with this: 

We will mess up and fail. A positive moment today can be replaced by a devastating hour tomorrow. We are on this ride together and occasionally when it breaks down, it feels really good to have someone reach out a hand to hold. 

Blessings,