Foolishness if bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him. – (Proverbs 22:15 NKJV)
The Bible says, “Eli sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). Eli was a priest and he knew the voice of God, but he didn’t always obey it. Even when he saw his sons doing evil in the eyes of God, he didn’t discipline them and it led to the downfall of the entire family. Eli lost his priesthood as well as his sons because he esteemed his sons more than he esteemed God. Friend, when we esteem our children more than God, it ends up giving them a bucket of trouble!
Our tendency as parents can be to want to shelter our children from all of life’s hurts, including the pain of discipline. But we have to pray and trust God that He will be with them wherever they go. God expects us to do our part—to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV)—which includes disciplining them to know right from wrong.
As a young child, Samuel was committed to be a priest in the household of Eli—which everyone knew was an ungodly household. But Hannah’s commitment kept him under the supernatural guidance of God during those year.
We can’t always protect our children from the ugliness they will encounter in the world, but we can entrust God with our children.
Dear Heavenly Father, I entrust my children to You. When I need guidance on raising Godly children, I will look to Your Word, Your wisdom, and the way Your Own Son Jesus was raised. In His Name, Amen.
