Titus 2 Men And Women

One of the little quirks of the system in which I was raised was that we were never told whether we were good at anything. To praise a child could lead to pride. So we never knew our IQs and didn’t have any certainty we had any strengths. I was nearly 30 before I figured out I was an above average vocalist, but still don’t know how good “good” is. I knew I did well in school – grades were obvious but I didn’t know whether everyone else got the same sort of grades. I still don’t know what my IQ is. I knew I liked music, acting and writing but didn’t know if I had any ability. Unfortunately, because I didn’t know if I was good at anything, I assumed I was bad at everything, or at best merely ordinary. I doubt I was unusual in that assumption.

So why does it matter? For several reasons, actually.

First, if a child believes he is not good at anything he will see himself as worth less than everyone else around him. In other words, he will feel worthless. A religious systems that constantly tells us we’re wicked, also reinforces this lack of personal worth. And if a child believes he is not good at anything he will certainly not attempt to excel at anything. Nor will he know the skill areas in which he is capable of doing more. If he tries to pursue his talents but doesn’t know their source or value, he is far more likely to succumb to Satan’s attacks intended to limit or stop him.

More specifically, though, failing to help children learn where their gifts and skills lie is to insult God’s design. If we are, as the Bible says, created in the image of God, the talents and abilities special to each person are a reflection of God’s image, specifically given to each individual for God’s glory and to reflect His nature in us. If God has a specific plan for each person to accomplish in their lifetime, not knowing the skills and tools He has given will make it difficult or impossible to complete His purpose.


[Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  From the Strong's Concordance "Train up" is defined:  A primitive root; properly to narrow (compare H2614); figuratively to initiate or discipline: - dedicate, train up.

I believe God makes it perfectly clear, as Danni stated above, that we are to 'narrow' a child's abilities to what they are talented in or gifted for and then praise and encourage them to excel to their abilities.  --Sharon Merhalski]

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