Devotion: Train Your Child
Train Your Child
Please review the scripture from the weekend: Proverbs 22:1-9
“Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.” (Proverbs 22:6).
This verse speaks to a very real truth: children are constantly learning from the words and behavior of the adults around them. Even when we’re not explicitly trying to teach, kids notice far more than we realize, and the information they absorb shapes the way they see the world. This has huge consequences within the church. There’s not one, simple answer to why churchgoing is less common among young people, but if children grow up hearing one thing from the Gospel and observing very different lessons from the adults they see at church, we shouldn’t be surprised if they end up feeling like the church has little to offer them. If this is true, then one way to protect the future of the church is to make sure the example we set by our words and actions aligns with the lessons we teach in services and Sunday School.
Vacation Bible School is a perfect place for adults to put this into practice. The amazing adult and youth volunteers who spend time with the children every day for a week enforce, through their actions, that the lessons learned at VBS truly matter. This is so critical because without this reinforcement the lessons could easily become intangible ideas–fun slogans to remember through the week with no real-world application. With the reinforcement, the students are so much more likely to absorb the lessons and retain them long after VBS week is over.
The same is true for the leaders of any child and youth ministries within the church all year long. Far from being mere babysitters, these leaders are examples of what it looks like to live out the lessons of our faith. We truly can’t thank these role models enough for everything they do to train the future of the church.
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the incredible leaders who guide and teach Your children. Bless every single person who has a hand in raising kids in lives of faith and love. We’re so grateful for Your presence at Vacation Bible School and all children’s ministries at Sheridan and all over the world. Amen.
Written by Preston Thiemann
Preston Thiemann and his wife, Rachel, live here in Lincoln. He is the Web Content Coordinator for the ASEM Marketing team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he’s worked since April 2015. At Sheridan, he also plays guitar with the Praise Band and is active in Sheridan’s 20s & 30s group called Second Quarter.
In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching movies and spending time with friends.