Teach your children the path they should take!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

I heard the tragic news through the media about the explosion at Ryongchon Station in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. It is reported that there are a significant number of casualties. The explosion and flying glass shards caused severe injuries to many people's eyes, and I heard that many are at risk of losing their sight. I was especially saddened to learn that most of the children who were injured at Ryongchon Elementary School had suffered eye injuries. Poet Kim Yong-taek, upon hearing the heart-wrenching news about these children, expressed his feelings in his poem "Children of Ryongchon Elementary School":

"... Children of Ryongchon! Children of this land, like the new grass breaking through the frozen earth! Children who have lost their school, who have lost their friends, who have lost their homes, families, and siblings! Children with faces burned by the hot flames! Ah! How can I bear this sudden death, pain, sorrow, cold, hunger, and fear? What should I do now...?"

The part where the poet says, "What should I do now?" is a powerful challenge. Reflecting on such tragic realities, I realize that there are many moments in our lives when we, too, do not know what to do. Especially when we see our children not with physical blindness, but with "spiritual blindness," when their "spiritual sight" is harmed and they are in danger of "spiritual blindness." As parents, I believe we must ask ourselves, "What should I do now?" The even sadder reality is that many parents fail to recognize their children's "spiritual blindness," and this is like the blind leading the blind. Therefore, in this Children's Day, I want to reflect on three important things that we, as parents, should teach our children, based on the Scripture of Proverbs 22:6.

First, parents must teach their children the right values.

We should reflect on what we are truly showing our children as valuable in our home lives. Is it faith? Do our children see how precious and valuable faith is in our family's life? Or are we too busy living according to the worldly values that God despises (Luke 16:15)? The Bible says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). What is the "treasure" that we consider valuable? The words of Matthew remind us that we must pay attention to where our hearts are. Moses is a perfect example of someone who had the right values. In Hebrews 11:26, it says that he "considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt." Who likes suffering? Isn't our natural instinct to prefer treasures? But Moses, by faith, "looked to the reward," and thus he valued the "treasure" of suffering for Christ more than the treasures of the world. This is the kind of value system the Bible tells us we must teach our children.

Second, parents must teach their children a clear sense of purpose.

So many of our children are living without a clear sense of purpose, wasting their lives aimlessly. They are wandering and living from day to day without knowing how to live, and their lives are full of meaningless moments. Some live with a wrong sense of purpose, leading them to a futile existence. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?" The answer is, "Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." Yet, how many parents truly live to glorify God and seek His joy, rather than viewing Him as a burden? Even serving the body of Christ, the church, becomes a burden to many. Daniel's clear sense of purpose is something we must learn and show our children. In Daniel 1:8, it says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself," and thus he refused to eat the king's delicacies and drink the wine. From the world's perspective, it was an opportunity, but he turned it down because his clear purpose was to seek God's holiness. His life was driven by this clear and firm purpose. How pleasing to God would it be if our children and we lived like this?

Third, parents must teach their children an eternal perspective on life.

Too many of our children do not value the precious life that God has given them and, tragically, some are taking their own lives. How heartbreaking this is! Why do they so easily take away their precious life? The reason is a lack of an eternal perspective on life. They have lost their will to live because they have no hope in the eternal kingdom, in heaven. This world cannot give us hope. This world cannot offer us even one day of true hope. It is a fleeting and empty world, and there is no hope in it. However, in Jesus Christ, the eternal comfort we are given is the fact that eternal life exists. James 4:14 tells us: "What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Our lives are but a fleeting mist. Why, then, do we live as though we are going to live forever on this earth? I believe that those who do not meditate on death cannot truly have an eternal perspective on life. The reason is that only those who think about death can look with hope toward the eternal kingdom. Paul, looking to that eternal kingdom, dedicated his life to preaching the gospel, seeking to gain "joy and crowns" for souls. To the Philippians, he called them "my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown" (Philippians 4:1). A person with an eternal perspective who dedicates their entire life to the eternal God will be a beautiful person in the eyes of God.

As we look at the children of Ryongchon Elementary School, who are facing the tragic possibility of losing their sight, and remember the poet's lament, "What should I do now?" we too must reflect on what we should do. As we celebrate this Children’s Day, we must look at our children, who are spiritually blind, and search for answers in the Scriptures through prayer, reflection, and careful consideration. On this Children’s Day, we have reflected on three things: right values, clear purpose, and an eternal perspective on life. Now, what will you and I do?