The Way Created
How is “the way” learned?
Our youngest son is a baseball fanatic, and I personally love it. When I was his age, I would take all my baseball cards and learn every statistic imaginable—salaries, player tendencies, and which players in the right positions made the best teams. I had thousands of baseball cards. I would then watch each player as often as I could. Back then, there was no YouTube, so I had to wait for games to be broadcast on Saturdays. Interestingly, I learned how to read the newspaper because I loved baseball. It was the only way to keep up with current stats and scores. I could even go out in the backyard and mimic my favorite players. I could hit like them, field like them, throw like them— I even taught myself how to throw left-handed. Now, I have a son who does all the same things. He knows players and statistics that I don’t know. He wakes up ready to look at stats, scores, and what players have been doing. I love how this passion has been passed down from me to him. In fact, for his birthday, all he asked for was baseball cards. How did he learn this?
He took my passion and limited knowledge and took it to the next level. He took the drive for baseball that I instilled in him and created a passion and drive greater than I ever had. I planted the seed, watered it a little, and it has flourished. He now eats, sleeps, and thinks baseball. A day in our household doesn’t go by without something baseball-related around him, and it has become his passion.
My pastor, Pastor James, often says, “You can tell what is valued in a society by what is disciplined and rewarded.” The same can be said about our homes, churches, schools, and personal lives. What we value is what we discipline and reward.
“Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” Psalms 27:11
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15
Scripture repeatedly teaches us to dive into the Word to learn the ways of God. Like anything in life, if we don’t spend time in the Word, we won’t understand how to walk in the way of the Word. David asked God, “Teach me thy way, O Lord.” Just as I taught my son how to understand and love baseball, I must also lead him to the Word so that God can teach him His ways. "The way" is learned through time spent in the Word. In our personal lives, in the lives of our children, in our families, in our churches, and in our schools, if we expect "the way" to be followed, we must open the instruction manual for "the way." What saddens me is that no parent would send their children to a church that teaches God isn’t the Creator, but they will send them to 16,000 hours of secular education where God is not taught as truth. This dualistic approach goes against every method of learning "the way."
"The way" should clearly be instruction given by parents to their children.
“And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Genesis 18:17-19
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
As Christian parents, we are called to train up our children in “the way.” We are called to lead our households into a place where the truth of God’s Word is rewarded and disciplined. How does a child, or any individual, learn “the way”? They are taught it from the rise of the sun to its setting. They see that the truth of God’s Word is relevant in all areas of life. The way is not something that just happens; it is deliberately and intentionally taught. If I want my son to become the best hitter he can be in baseball, I find the best hitting coach I can and don’t allow him to be taught different hitting methods or philosophies. The training of our lives and our children’s lives must be treated the same way— intentionally and deliberately grounded in God’s Word at all times.
THIS IS THE WAY!
Mr. Euler has over 20 years of experience working in Christian Schools, 13 as a Head of School and is currently the Head of School at Word of God Academy, Shreveport, LA., a ministry of Word of God Ministries.
Website www.wogacademy.org
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