Psalm 127:3-5-"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
As a family we have been discussing these verses quite a bit lately, and I just wanted to share some of the thoughts we have had. And I hope this will help someone out there.
First of all, an arrow doesn't just appear, someone creates them. Mom and Dad have the job of shaping and forming these arrows. A bent arrow, an arrow without the feathers to guide it, or without a sharp tip is pretty useless. So it is our job to shape and form these arrows to fulfill their purpose.
As a family we have been discussing these verses quite a bit lately, and I just wanted to share some of the thoughts we have had. And I hope this will help someone out there.
First of all, an arrow doesn't just appear, someone creates them. Mom and Dad have the job of shaping and forming these arrows. A bent arrow, an arrow without the feathers to guide it, or without a sharp tip is pretty useless. So it is our job to shape and form these arrows to fulfill their purpose.
An arrow needs to have a sharp point. It is a defensive weapon. We are in a spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12-"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand." Your child needs to be trained to be sharp to be able to stand while in spiritual battles. They need to be sharp, for the Bible commands us to not only "not sin", but we are to reprove sin. Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Proverbs 27:17-"As iron sharpeneth iron: so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." A parent should do the main sharpening, but what type of friends is your child around. Are they going to help sharpen him, encourage him in his Christian life, or are they going to make him dull and useless? It is your job to be watching over who your child is with, are his friends spiritual? Not just Christian, are they going to encourage your child in his walk?
An arrow also needs to be clean. A dirty arrow becomes useless, and if not cleaned, will eventually be thrown away and discarded. 2 Timothy 2:4-"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." 1 John 3:3-"And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." A dirty arrow will not fly straight, the tip will rust and the feathers will become useless. Are you training your child to stay clean? Or is your child dirtied by the world you have allowed in the home through worldly toys (characters from movies, the occult, supernatural, etc.), books (Are they encouraging your child in Biblical values? or are they teaching your child worldly views?), video games ( occultism and violence) and tv (once again occultism, violence, unbiblical standards, even anti-biblical)? Are your arrows clean?
Also, an arrow needs to be used. Do you take your arrow out of the quiver? Or do you so shelter them that they are never doing anything for the Lord? No, don't send your arrow out into the world unguided, and unprepared, but do some target practice. Take them with you when you witness. Allow them to see and learn under your guidance. The same with streetpreaching. Take them with you. Yes, there are some events children just should not be at. You should be training them though. Take them to streetpreach outside a rock concert and explain why the music and environment are wrong. Wouldn't you rather they learn it with you present and able to direct them? Explain to them why alcohol is wrong. When they see the affect of sin, and hear the Bible's directions about it, if you are training them properly they will become stronger and be able to stand. But, if you shelter them all the time they are in your home, and they have never had training, how do you expect them to stand, when they are no longer under your roof? Take them with you, allow them to witness. There is nothing like being stumped by a question on the street to encourage more studying of God's Word. Arrows are meant to be used! Your child needs to be able to defend their faith, stand up for what is right and witness to the lost. Are you preparing them to be a useful arrow? Or will God be unable to use them?
Well crafted arrows are used as models in designing more arrows. Would your child be used as a model for designing more like him? 1 Timothy 4:12-"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Is your arrow someone that other parents would want their child around because he is a good example of a Christian? Is your child showing qualities and characteristics of growing in his Christian walk? Would your child be a pattern for other arrows?Remember, eventually an arrow must leave the quiver and do it's job. Is your child being prepared for this?
I really hope that this is an encouragement to you to press on and keep shaping the arrows God has given you.
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