We had the great experience of meeting our first grandchild this past weekend. What a tremendous blessing and experience it was to see and hold him.

It reminded me of the words to the great hymn, “Because He Lives.” One verse goes, “How sweet to hold a newborn baby, And feel the pride and joy he gives; But greater still the calm assurance: This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!”

For those of us who are parents or hope to be parents, sometimes we feel a measure of fear and trepidation as to how our children will turn out. Seeing him grow up and becoming his own person is encouraging and scary at the same time. Yes, they are in God’s hands, but still, you want them to become more than yourself and for their lives to make a difference. But in saying that, we can sometimes put unrealistic expectations on what they do and who they become.

There is a tremendous contrast between the book of Psalms and the book of Proverbs. Part of this contrast comes from the differences in the two principal writers, David and Solomon. Both were kings who loved the Lord. But David was a man of war, a soldier who fought the battles of Israel. His son, Solomon spent time contemplating the great questions of life and applying his God-given wisdom to the difficult issues of everyday existence.

I believe there’s a lesson for us here as Christian parents. It has to do with allowing our children to be themselves and not trying to force them into the same kinds of educational and career choices we made for ourselves.

Apparently, David was quite happy to see Solomon develop into a much different kind of person than he had been. But David did try to pass on important spiritual principles to his son. David prayed that Solomon would be a righteous man who loved God and kept His commandments.

And in the first nine chapters of Proverbs, we see Solomon seeking to pass along those same spiritual principles to his own son. The first nine chapters of Proverbs could well be called a manual for young men and women, to guide them in their growing-up years.

If you are a parent with young people in the home, you might want to have a family meeting and suggest reading a paragraph or two of the first nine chapters of Proverbs out loud, then talking about what you read. The time might prove so valuable that you’ll continue the practice and finish the whole book!

Maybe you are at the stage of thinking about having children or even getting married. Creating a foundation in your lives of Bible reading and prayer will help you develop a strong foundation for you and your future children in becoming the men and women of God we hope they will be.

Being a parent is challenging in our world today. There are things many of our children deal with today that we never had to face. But the one “thing” we have on our side is a God who is compassionate and caring and who promises His love and care in our lives regardless of the challenges we face.

Let’s help our children to be themselves and encourage them to follow the Lord with all their hearts. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. – Proverbs 1:7