Faithful Friday: Train up a Child

Among my sweetest memories as a Mom are the moments I've spent sharing God with my children.  From teaching them their first prayer, to reading Bible stories, to toting them Sunday school, those snapshots remain vivid in my head as well as my heart.  Of course the most precious of all being the times in which they came forward in church and took their first steps as Christians.  Watching my boys get baptized and knowing the decisions they each prayerfully made, will always be my proudest and most joyful moments as a mom.

We raise our children with so many hopes and dreams.  We train them to be good people, giving them building blocks for what they may face in life.  We teach them right from wrong, discipline when behavior deems necessary, and say constant prayers for God's hands to guide them. 

In the end, we can only "teach" so much.  As they mature, more and more those decisions and daily life choices are all on them.  We continue to hope that our foundation helps them along the way, as well as the examples we show in our own lives.  With teenagers I find it is gentle prodding, soft suggestions, and even finding the fun in faith that keep our kids on the right path. 

As soon as Noah handed me his Kindle (to beat a level in angry birds), I used the opportunity to find and download some books and apps I thought he'd enjoy.  Of course, the first book I got for him was the Bible.  It pleased me to see him use it at church a couple of Sundays ago.  However, when we were discussing scriptures later and he asked my favorite, I realized the version he had was much older.

I'd downloaded an "Old English" version which didn't really put the Bible in words he would easily understand.  On the search for a better option, I shared with him the app I use on my own phone.  With his Kindle, it allows him to pick from several translations and has some very useful additions.  He was excited to see that it would read to him with a click of his pen, that he could highlight favorite scriptures and even take notes.  I was thrilled to see him interacting with the best book he'll ever read.

This app also included a daily devotion, written especially for teens.  It even allows for sharing on social networks like Facebook.  Yet another proud moment happened the night he read his first devotion and eagerly clicked to share it with his friends.  He then set an alarm so that each night his Kindle would remind him to read.  And so far, he has every night.  I know because a happy little message on Facebook appears as he shares it again with his friends.

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

 - Proverbs 22:6