Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and…you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
—Deuteronomy 11:18–19
Parents, you probably have the most challenging of jobs—building and developing godly character in the lives of your children, training each child in the way he or she is to go. Your children are tomorrow’s leaders: presidents, ministers, educators, inventors and developers of new technology.
In today’s society this responsibility has become increasingly more difficult as many mothers, some who are single, have full-time jobs outside the home. In addition we must face issues of the threat of violence in our schools, the pressure of “keeping up with the Joneses,” and the rising cost of education, just to name a few. Family, friends, peers, the media, and caregivers who may not have your same values influence your children.
So, how can you stay strengthened amid all the pressures? How do you overcome worry and fear? How do you mold the lives of your children as caring, loving individuals and establish them in their walk with God? These questions demand answers and become more significant with each passing year. Parents from past generations have wanted answers to these same perplexing enigmas.
The solution is wrapped up in one powerful word—prayer. The Father is always available to heal wounded spirits, to give comfort, wisdom, and strength. Take time each morning to wait before the Lord in prayer, to read the Bible, and to meditate. Fifteen minutes will strengthen you. In the midst of unpleasant situations, pause, acknowledge the presence of God, take a few deep breaths, and you will change the atmosphere. A silent prayer will place you in a position to hear from God, and He will direct your path. He is your patience, your unseen partner as you teach and train your children in the ways of God. If God be for you, who can be against you?
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
—Proverbs 22:6
Heavenly Father, I commit myself, as a parent, to train my child/children in the way he is to go, trusting in Your promise that he will not depart from Your ways, but will grow and prosper in them. I turn the care and burden of rearing him over to You. I purpose to nurture and love him as You have loved us. I will command and teach my child diligently. Your grace is sufficient to overcome my weaknesses as a mother/father. Amen.
Shawn Akers 
Rabbi Eric Tokajer 
