That Piece of Clay
A little child has often been likened to a piece of clay that can be molded into whatever type of pottery that the potter (parent) has in mind. A little child is so pliable, so willing to be molded and so trusting. This can either be a fantastic opportunity or a tragic consequence depending on what the potter does. Solomon expresses this truth vividly when he says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). This is why Paul urged parents to “bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
When clay hardens, it is too late to mold it as you desire. So it is with children. In their young and tender years, they can be taught and guided into the way of the Lord, but as they grow older, they become set and fixed in the mold that was cast. You can’t wait until a child is a teenager to mold him It begins before he is born. It takes place while he is a baby, while he is a toddler, and while he is a pre-schooler. Do you realize that most of a child’s molding has already taken place by the time he starts school? Potters (parents), how are you molding your child?
