The Challenge of Reaching Both Mind and Heart

Christian parents have the desire and responsibility to teach their children  the "pure language" of Bible truth.  (Zephaniah 3:9) Yet, if children have only a limited knowledge of their parents' language and if parents are unable to express themselves effectively in the language  that their children have become accustomed to, how can the parents  inculcate Jehovah's Law into their children's hearts?  (Deuteronomy 6:7) The children may understand the words their parents speak, but if what is being said does not reach the heart, the children may become strangers in their own home.

Pedro and Sandra moved to Australia from South America, and they face this challenge while raising their two teenage boys. Pedro says:  "When talking about spiritual matters, the heart and emotion are involved.  You need to express deeper and more meaningful thoughts, so there is a need for a greater vocabulary." Sandra adds:  "If our children don't have a comprehensive understanding of our mother tongue, then their spiritual life could suffer.  They might lose  the feeling for the truth, not grasping  the principle behind what they are learning.  Their spiritual discernment might be stunted, an their relationship  with Jehovah could suffer.

Gnanpirakasam and Helen migrated to Germany from Sri Lanka and now have two children.  They agree: "We think it is very important that our children speak our mother tongue while learning German.  It is important for them to be able to communicate with us about their emotions, to speak from heart  to heart."

Miguel and Carmen, who emigrated from Uruguay to Australia, say:  "Parents in our situation must work harder.  They must either learn the new language so well that they  can comprehend and explain spiritual matters in that language or teach their children to master the parent's language."

Next time: A Family Decision

From the Watchtower magazine, 2002