We are inundated with people who either realistically have never had children, don't plan on having any, or will never handle children of any sort; who are affecting the decision-making processes of parents who deal with children everyday. The sad thing is; I have always known that to be an expert in an area, you definitely must have experience in that area as far a practice is concerned.
There are tons of people in our society that are academicians and theoriticians and not practitioners. Especially, when it comes to the subject of rearing children. I find it most beneficial that doctors in any science who practice are on the real cutting edge of breakthroughs, as far as diagnosis and treatment is concerned, and that doctors in any science who are academicians and have never practiced are just theoretic in most cases with regard to diagnosis and treatment.
Well, the line in the rearing of children is not a one, two, or three step as some of these people assume. The mental framework of children are based on a "bent" or as the Scripture states in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way that he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." The phrase "in the way that he should go" is literally rendered in the Hebrew, " `al- piy darkow" {`al- (in); piy (he should go); darkow (the way)} or in English "according to his way".
The phrase, "the way" in English is translated from the Hebrew "darkow" in the Septuagint (LXX --Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures) and Masoretic Text. Both however, use the noun "derek" (deh-rek) which means literally "a road (as trodden)". Figuratively it means "a course of life or mode of action". The real catch is that this word or noun "derek" is derived from the root word or verb "darak" (daw-rak) which means "to tread; by implication, to walk; also to string a bow (by treading on it in bending)". Hence the key idea is that a child's training or "chanak" (to initiate, to teach, to dedicate, to consecrate, to inaugurate), should be according to his "bent" or "bending". This simply indicates that if a child's bent or bend is a certain way then that is how he should be consecrated, dedicated, initiated, inaugurated, or taught.
Let's face it some children are harder to bend than others. Better yet, it is hard to teach\train children who are bent in a certain direction. The whole idea of bending and training them is just so that they do as a bow does for an arrow, "shoot straight".
On many occasions I have had parents say that their son or daughter did change some things for the better, after being embarrased on a particular occasion. Then the son or daughter did say that he or she was embarrassed, and that the embarrassment did get the point across to them. So their emotional and psychological makeup was not hindered, it was bent right and now they are shooting arrows properly.
On other occasions with children an embrace was more responsive than an embarrassment, which caused the same result; a child "shooting strait".
I must say the Scriptures always work out for the sake of those who properly apply understanding to the truths they (Scriptures) tend to teach.
Thanks for the article! It answers many questions for me.
ReplyDeletePacked with truth, belivers should keep depending on the word of God
ReplyDeleteWOW... That makes a lot of sense. I've experience embraceing my own kids and that did seem to get them back on track. Thanks for the breakdown of the text. That brought a new way to view that text and understanding parenting.
ReplyDeleteHello. My name is Flavio. It has been several years since you have published this blog post. In fact! It was around 5 months prior to my “coming” to the Lord. It was more like crying out to God and in turn later on coming to discover that this “God” I cried out to, in whom actually responded, was in fact this Jesus I read about in the Gospels.
ReplyDeleteThat began my “walk” with the Lord Jesus.
Well, in reference to your blog post not knowing whether this account is still kept by you, I wanted to ask you something or rather share something with you to see whether this individual is either shedding light or is on point with his expression or description of this “bent.”
“God did not call us to get a job. He created us and breathed into us, so that we can live an abundant life through our natural ‘bent.’ Our bent is what God has caused us to be ever so inclined to. What we are drawn to, driven by and wanting to passionately pursue and experience. Our bent is what excites us, fills us with joy and will not be reserved to our own knowledge but must be shared with others. Our bent is what helps us know God and enables us to share God with others. Our bent can only be known over the course of time and mature with the aid of our parents or those who God would so bring into our lives to train us in the way we should go. Our bent is sharpened by our environment, situations, circumstances and even our sinful past. Our bent cannot be told to us. Our bent is already in us and God who placed it there also brings it to its fruition. Our bent has a face. Its expression: Talents, gifts and abilities. A job is a means of making money to support and pay your way. A bent is purpose, meaning and exactly what God wants for us and has for us. Do not let anyone tell you what you’re supposed to do, but seek God out to direct you, instruct you and guide you in the way you should go.”
I do hope to hear back from you as the insight provided in your blog post seems to align with the above quote on our “bent.”
On a personal note to close this comment. I am someone who has come to the realization that I have become rebelliously defiant of working a job. I don’t like my family telling me what I should do as it pertains to a great many things but in specific, when it comes to a job.
Those family members I live with want to tell me what I should do but no one has ever taken the time to train me in the way I should go.
There are four believers in my family. None of which I live with and those other three have never invested into my life in the context of pursuing God to know what I am supposed to do or in the way I should walk, but they have indeed said, do this and do that without ever taking into consideration that what God is doing in my life may not necessarily reflect exactly what He is doing in their lives. In short, I have no support.
I love to write. I believe I am a writer but not for the fact of merely writing, but for the fact of writing what God wants me to write. I have expressed it this way for years now: I cannot write a word unless God looks in my direction and opens His mouth and speaks to me.
With that said, I look forward to receiving a response from you. I should have began this way but I will close this way.
His grace, peace, wisdom and revelation for the way you should continuously go, be with you and multiplied to you. Amen.