TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO LOVE JEHOVAH

AN ARCHER prepares to shoot and arrow at a target.  He carefully places it against the bowstring,and with flexed muscles he bends his bow.  Despite the strain, he takes time to aim the arrow.  Then he lets it fly!  Will the arrow hit the target? Several factors determine the answer, including  the skill of the archer, the effect of the wind, and the condition of the arrow.

King Solomon likened children to "arrows in the hand of a mighty man."  (Psalm 127:4)  Consider how this illustration  might be applied.  An archer has the arrow in his bow for only a relatively short time.  To hit the target, he must quickly let it go.  Likewise, parents have  only a relatively short period of time to develop in their children heartfelt love for Jehovah.  After what seems to be just a few short  years, the children grow up and leave home.  (Matthew 19:5)   Will they hit the target-that is, will the children continue to love and serve God after they leave home?  Numerous factors influence the answer.  Three of them are the skill of the parent,  the environment in which the children are raised, and the way the 'arrow,' or child, responds  to the training he or she receives.   Let us examine each of these factors in more detail.  First, we will consider some of the traits of a skillful parent.

Next time: Skillful Parents Set a  Good Example

Watchtower, 2007