Fighting “Flashy” Things 抵挡诱惑

[Dexu Xia]

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.  Proverbs 22:6

In the 1960s-era TV series The Andy Griffith Show, a man tells Andy he should let his son Opie decide how he wants to live. Andy disagrees: “You can’t let a young’un decide for himself. He’ll grab at the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then, when he finds out there’s a hook in it, it’s too late. Wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter that it’s hard to convince them that other things might be better in the long run.” He concludes that it’s important for parents to model right behavior and help “keep temptation away.”

Andy’s words are related to the wisdom found in Proverbs: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (22:6). Although many may read these words as a promise, they're really a guide. All of us are called to make our own decision to believe in Jesus. But we can help lay a biblical foundation through our love for God and Scripture. And we can pray that as the little ones under our care mature, they choose to receive Christ as Savior and walk in His ways and not “in the paths of the wicked” (v. 5). 

Our own victory over “flashy things” through the Holy Spirit’s enabling is also powerful testimony. Jesus’ Spirit helps us to withstand temptation and molds our lives into examples worth imitating.

By:  Alyson Kieda

Why is it helpful to remember that Proverbs 22:6 isn’t a promise but a wise principle? Who can you help to “train up”?

Dear Father, help me to instill Your values into the hearts of the children You’ve placed in my life.

教养孩童，使他走当行的道，就是到老他也不偏离。—箴言22章6节

在1960年代美国电视剧《安迪 · 格里菲斯秀》中，有人建议安迪让他儿子奥皮选择自己想要的生活。但安迪并不赞同，他说：“你不能任由一个孩子自己做主，他会抓住第一件光彩夺目却华而不实的事物，等他发现里面有陷阱的时候，往往为时已晚。错误的观念常常被包装得无比华丽，以致我们很难让孩子相信，从长远来看，其他的选择更好。”安迪总结说，最重要的是父母要树立良好的榜样，帮助孩子远离诱惑。

安迪这番话正符合圣经中箴言那满有智慧的教导：“教养孩童，使他走当行的道，就是到老他也不偏离”（22章6节）。尽管许多人把这节经文视为一个应许，但实际上这是一个指引。上帝让每个人有自主权来决定是否要相信耶稣，但我们可以藉着爱上帝和祂的话语，来帮助孩子奠定信仰的根基。我们也可以为孩子祷告，祈盼这些我们照顾的孩子长大之后，愿意接受基督为个人的救主，遵行祂的道，而不是走向“奸诈人的道路”（5节，新译本）。

我们靠着圣灵而战胜诱惑，抗拒光彩夺目却华而不实的事物，也能成为强而有力的见证。耶稣的灵能帮助我们抵挡诱惑，并将我们的生命塑造成值得他人效仿的榜样。

作者：  柯爱莉

当我们谨记箴言22章6节不是一个应许，而是明智的教导原则，对我们有何帮助？你能帮忙教导和培养什么人？

亲爱的天父，请帮助我将合乎圣经真理的价值观，深植在我身边每一个孩子的心里。