Train the Children while they are Young

Tue, Aug 16. 2011

Editor: A story has been told of a father who had a little son that practised stealing. Whenever the boy stole things in the neighborhood and took them home, his father never asked him where he got them or rebuked him for stealing.{{more}}

He continued to steal until he got into prison. After he was discharged, his friends began to called him ill names, which got him upset. He then felt shame, blaming his father for not rebuking him and training him in the right way at a young age.

His father was a hunter and one day, he told his father they should go hunting. They got their guns, and when they got into the forest, the son pointed at a little tree and said: “Bend that for me, daddy”. His father bent it. As they got a little further, his son saw a bigger tree and said: “Bend it for me”. His father had a struggle, but he bent it. The son then looked around, and saw an old tree and said: “Bend it for me”. His father looked at him and said: “Son, how could you expect me to bend an old tree like that? It is impossible”. His son said: “Ah daddy, you can’t train me now I am old. If you had rebuked me from stealing at a young age and trained me in the right way, my friends would not have been calling me all kinds of ill names. I am ashamed, daddy.” And he shot him dead.

Proverbs Chapter 22, verse 6, says: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Gamaliel Durrant