"Raise Up a Child In The Way He Should Go..." REAL MEANING

I was surprised and very pleased to learn that the Biblical passage, "Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" does not, as is usually stated, translate to, "Make your children aware of their faith background and when they grow up they will remain faithful." Oh, it means that, of course -- but it means more than that even though that is obviously of great importance in and of itself.

What the passage means in its essence is that parents are supposed to discern what it is about each of their children that uniquely energizes them. They should find out what their children are passionate about -- and as long as it is of good repute and beneficial to society, the child should be encouraged to pursue it and possibly even to make it a career.

So! If a kid loves building things he might decide to be a builder; if she likes to take things apart, she might decide to be an analyst or a fixer of equipment and machines; if s/he likes to sing and dance and make people laugh, s/he might decide to become an entertainer. WHATEVER a child finds joy and personal expression doing, parents and elders are advised to encourage them to keep doing it! It is when we are passionate about something that we dedicate extensive time and heart so that we become excellent at it.

Words can bless and they can curse. God created the universe with his words. We create ours with ours, too. Out of our mouths and hearts come life and death. Do you think that's an exaggeration? Consider this:

How many children have been given a morbid sense of their place and worth because an adult carelessly placed into their minds (in moments of frustration or exhaustion) that they are slow, sloppy, unattractive, lazy, a dreamer, stupid? Far too many!

Just because a child doesn't want to be a mirror of his or her parent as an adult does not make him or her "stupid" or "lazy." Nor does it suggest that the child is going out of his or her way to show disdain for a parent.

It is simply a matter of "Which life do I want to live -- the one God gave me a passionate vision to do, or one my parent or someone else thinks I would be a better fit for, to satisfy their criteria rather than my own?"

We are the only people we will spend our entire lives with. Who would we rather disappoint at their end of our lives, people who are out living their lives the way they see fit, or ourselves?

It's a no-brainer.

Life the life God gave you the passion to live. He gave you life that you might live it abundantly. Don't squander it wondering what other people think of your vision.

They're so busy with their own visions for themselves that you very rarely enter into their thoughts, anyway. That's a fact of life!