Child's Play

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

For many of us, this verse brings to mind our children's gifts or abilities socially, athletically or artistically speaking. Parents, and in particular fathers, love to see their kids excel outwardly. We push them to learn more, run faster or perform better. But all too often, we tend to forget about the most important aspect of our children's growth—character.

True success in life starts as an inward thing. It emerges out of a personal relationship with Christ. We, as parents, should be in the business of character training by first introducing our children to Christ and living out our own relationship with him. And that is a value that is more caught than taught.

As you walk down the rugged path of reality, your children are watching the character that you display. They watch you in traffic, at the store and on the phone. They're watching as you interact with people in every situation and circumstance. So lead by example. Teach them about what truly matters. And train them to display the character that God has designed for them — a character of generosity, integrity, honesty and compassion.