Wise Children Make Parents’ Hearts Rejoice
“A WISE son is the one that makes a father rejoice.” (Prov. 15:20) How true are those inspired words! When children act wisely, they make their parents’ hearts rejoice.
However, training is required for this happy result to be obtained. As in all parts of the earth, in Burma, too, Jehovah’s Christian witnesses have found this to be the case.
There is six-year-old Joanna, for example. Her mother has trained her well. One day, when her mother visited some friends, Joanna also went along. Just before having lunch in that home, Joanna asked the children there whether they prayed before meals. Finding out that they did not even know how to pray, she asked everyone to repeat after her while she prayed aloud. Even the mother of the children joined in. After eating, Joanna went out to tell the other children about her God, Jehovah. She asked them whether they had a God. When they said that they did, her next question was: “What is your God’s name?” They, of course, could not answer her question. So Joanna proudly said, “My God’s name is Jehovah.”—Ps. 83:18.
Eight-year-old Peter has been taught by his parents how to use the Bible to explain his beliefs to others. He uses pieces of paper to mark appropriate texts in his Bible. When one of his markers dropped out of his Bible, Peter simply repeated the text from memory.
But what if a person does not have time to mark his Bible or to make a note on a slip of paper? He might learn something from seven-year-old Joshua. He was listening attentively to an appointed elder of his congregation showing how to present Scriptural thoughts to unbelievers. But Joshua had no paper for taking notes. Getting up to obtain some would have meant missing out on good instruction. So what did Joshua do? He quickly marked down a text on his palm. Later, he was able to share this Scriptural point with others.
When parents give fine training, they may find that the example of their children is faith-strengthening. This was the experience of one elder. A few years ago he and another elder were imprisoned on false charges and because of their neutral stand in politics. There was no other elder or servant in that congregation. Hence, twelve-year-old Zami, his daughter, took the initiative to keep some activity going until her father’s release. Every Sunday morning the father would stand near a small hole in the cell, to watch his daughter and others calling on people to tell them about the Bible.
Of course, training is not confined to speaking to others. Children should also be taught to listen carefully at congregation meetings and to apply what they learn. This is what the parents of four-year-old Sanju did. He would be asked to listen carefully at the meetings. Later, at home, he would climb on a chair and give the same talk to his parents in his own childish way. Visitors to the home were sure to hear Sanju’s talks. Now seven, Sanju gives talks in the congregation’s Theocratic School.
Proper training can also help children to withstand pressure to violate God’s law. That was the experience of six-year-old Christine. Once she spent a few days with her unbelieving grandparents. While sitting at the table for lunch, she noticed that her grandmother had prepared some small roasted animals. She asked: “How were these slaughtered?” Learning that they were not properly bled, Christine said that she could not eat them. “Why not?” asked the surprised grandparents. “My father,” said Christine, “told me that as a Christian I should not eat that which is not properly slaughtered.” (Gen. 9:3, 4) Trying to persuade her, the grandmother pointed out that the girl’s father would never know anything about it. But Christine answered: “I don’t worship my father. Even though he is not here to see me, Jehovah God, whom I worship, is here.” This paved the way for those elderly people to get interested in the Bible’s message.
How true are the inspired words: “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you [Jehovah] have furnished praise”!—Matt. 21:16.