(箴言 20:7)
“行為純正的義人，他的子孫，是有福的。”
這節經文給了我們一個關於兒女教育和親子關係非常重要的啟示。
很多時候，我們做父母的總是在為孩子籌劃未來的路，想着要幫他們存多少錢、未來要讀甚麼學校，從幼兒園、小學、中學一直規劃到大學。我們努力為孩子鋪路，這些付出當然沒有問題，也都是出於對孩子的愛，只要多為這些事祈禱、交託給主帶領就好。
然而，聖經提醒了我們一件更重要、甚至沒有任何計劃可以比擬的事，那就是我們自己的生命。經文說「行為純正的義人，他的子孫是有福的」，這裏指的不是我們為孩子做了多少宏偉的規劃，而是指我們自身的生命狀態。
在聖經的意涵中，「純正」通常用來形容獻祭時那毫無瑕疵、完全奉獻給神的祭物。這意味着我們的生命要成為活祭，完全呈現給神、毫無保留，並且讓耶穌在我們生命中掌管。而「行為」這個字，指的則是我們日常的生活起居，而不僅僅是禮拜天在教會裡做好人，星期一到星期六卻過着另外一種生活。這代表我們整個生命的每一步，都要根據聖經的原則、按照神的旨意去行。
當我們願意這樣生活時，我們的兒女就會有福。這種福氣並不是指他們在物質上發大財，而是當我們用自己的生命活出榜樣，這種「身教」就會深刻地影響孩子的生命。
因此，為孩子做再多好的規劃、祈禱固然很好，但最關鍵的依然是我們的身教。孩子其實都在注視着我們。如果我們口中一直教導孩子要誠實，自己卻不斷說謊；或者教導孩子要愛神，自己卻不祈禱、不讀經、不穩定聚會，這樣是毫無意義的。
請記得，身教重於言教，生命會影響生命。我們能帶給兒女最大的福氣，就是我們自己盡心竭力地去愛神、遵行神的道。
(Proverbs 20:7)
“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”
This verse gives us a very important revelation regarding children’s education and the parent-child relationship.
Many times, as parents, we are always planning the future path for our children, thinking about how much money to save for them, what schools they should attend in the future, and mapping out everything from kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, all the way to university. We strive to pave the way for our children, and there is certainly nothing wrong with these efforts, which all come from our love for them. We just need to pray more about these matters and commit them to the Lord’s leading.
However, the Bible reminds us of something far more important, something that no plan can ever compare to, and that is our own life. The scripture says, “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” What this refers to is not how many grand plans we have made for our children, but rather our own state of life.
In the biblical context, “integrity” is often used to describe a sacrificial offering that is without blemish and completely dedicated to God. This means our lives must become living sacrifices, completely presented to God without reservation, allowing Jesus to take control of our lives. As for the word “walketh,” it refers to our daily lifestyle, not just being a good person at church on Sundays while living another kind of life from Monday to Saturday. This means that every step of our entire life must be lived according to biblical principles and in accordance with God’s will.
When we are willing to live this way, our children will be blessed. This blessing does not mean they will make a great fortune materially, but rather that when we live out an example with our own lives, this “teaching by example” will deeply impact our children’s lives.
Therefore, while making good plans and praying for our children is certainly good, the most critical element remains our teaching by example. Our children are actually always watching us. If we constantly teach our children to be honest with our mouths, but we themselves keep telling lies, or if we teach our children to love God, but we themselves do not pray, do not read the Bible, and do not attend church regularly, then it is completely meaningless.
Please remember, teaching by example is more important than teaching by words; life influences life. The greatest blessing we can bring to our children is for us ourselves to love God with all our heart and soul, and to walk in His ways.
