Training Souls, Not Methods: Guiding Children in God’s Direction

*This devotional was first shared on The Round Farmhouse Ministries Facebook and Instagram pages on August 22nd, 2024. For more daily encouragement, check out The Round Farmhouse’s social media posts.

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

Anyone feel a little directionally challenged? I understand the concepts of north, south, east, and west. However, I must have missed the gene of intuitively determining if I should travel east or west. If I take a few moments to recognize where I am in relation to the sun and key interstates, I don’t feel as lost anymore. I am learning to be more confident that although I might follow a slightly different set of roads, I can get to my destination even with detours. I might just arrive a little later than others.

During my first ten years as a mom, I focused on the words “the way” from Proverbs 22:6. I reasoned that if I found the right method for parenting by reading all the books and listening to the best podcasts, I would learn how to be a great parent. All I would have to do is repeat the same methods for all four of our kids. Boy, was I wrong! I misinterpreted the heart of this verse. Training our children isn’t just about the decisions we make about the kind of schools, churches, and activities we would choose to participate in. It’s not about having the best rhythms and routines for our lives.

The Message translation helped me better understand the real meaning of Proverbs 22:6 “Point your kids in the right direction–when they’re old they will not be lost.” By pointing our children to Jesus, He is the “right” direction. All of our other parenting decisions can be variable based on our children’s unique preferences, strengths, and challenges. The key in our parental choices is that we continually point to Jesus as our north star.

At the end of the day, the most important truth to focus on is how God longs to reconnect with us by forgiving us of the sins that separate us from Him. He intentionally created each one of our children so they can participate in His beautiful redemption story. Some of our children might need a longer spiritual path than their other siblings, but as long as we consistently press closer to Jesus each day, we lead them in the right direction. 

Friend, I pray that God will give us eyes to see the beautiful ways God created us as moms and our children. I am also praying God will provide us with wisdom for pointing our children continually in His direction so that when they are older, none of them will be lost. If you aren’t sure what this might look like, I would love to connect with you and share God’s life-giving plan for us. No matter the detours, if we point our children to Jesus, they will be on the right path.