Raising Daniel (Part 1)
Article By: Dr Oswald Goh
Dr Oswald Goh is an elder of Zion Serangoon Bible-Presbyterian Church and a committee member of Kingdomgarten Preschool Services.
BEYOND WORLDLY WONDERS
The book of Daniel 3 relates the famous account of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who are Daniel’s friends. The three brave Hebrews take a stand against the king of Babylon, refuse to bow to an Nebuchadnezza’s statue, and were thrown into a burning fiery furnace.
It is easy to create an idol out of the promises of an educational system meant for good. I can’t help but relate the biblical story to the situations in Singapore. Currently rather than focusing on our children’s individual strength and instilling confidence in God and HIS promises to unlock their potential in HIS time, it is easy for us to blindly pursue aspirations for their children to join the Gifted Education Programmes, snag prestigious scholarships and ride on the latest educational trends which promise passports to worldly success.
Many teenagers from thirteen to fifteen years of age face struggles with their gruelling PSLE, having just experienced the first shoots of puberty. It should have been a time of great change & challenge; self-awareness & discovery. While helping them to give their best to fully realise the educational opportunities, it is a fine line not to be over obsessed with a narrow definition of academic success.
Often this results in our children being confused about their own identities in Christ, having unrealistic expectations and being conflicted about how there could be a loving God who can guide them to who they are meant to be.
Even societies’ narrow definition of success can become an idol and rob children of the joy of lifelong learning. Like every idol, we can be encouraged to resist them like Daniel’s friends.
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” - Daniel 3:17-18
AN ALTERNATIVE VISION
For our children, the Christian community has short, fleeting, twelve or thirteen years to lay a firm & (ever) lasting foundation, on which they built their new lives – lives of distinction; lives of sterling service; lives of obedience; to the glory of God.
Here’s a new vision for consideration. Even at their tender age, Hananiah, Mishael, & Azariah demonstrated these “good habits”:
They were thoughtful of the company they kept – Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah found one another and found that they were in good company! And they stayed together – continuing to give each other good counsel, and support, and encouragement – even when times were really difficult.
They were respectful, polite, & courteous to others – even in their youth they showed themselves to be well-mannered; courtly; civil & gracious. They learned that they could achieve far more through deference than defiance. Their mothers would have been proud of them.
They were mindful of their language – they learned the literature & language of their captors until they were ten times better. Yet they kept their mother tongue higher than the Aramaic babel they would use for the rest of their lives. And they had no room in their mouths for foul language.
They were careful what they put into their bodies – they were careful not just with regard to harmful substances of abuse, but even what daily foods they consumed. At their young age, they already demonstrated a proper concern for their bodies as temples of God’s Spirit.
They were faithful to the God whom they loved & Who loved them – they honoured God in their obedience & devotion to Him & God blessed them more than all the other young men in their cohort. And they aced their imperial exams, ahead of all their peers.
CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP - RAISING DANIEL & FRIENDS
George Barna (of Barna Research) teaches us that “people are much more likely to accept Christ as Saviour when they are young. Absorption of biblical truths and principles typically peaks during the preteen years… Anyone who wishes to have significant influence on the development of a person’s moral and spiritual foundations should exert that influence while the person is still open-minded and impressionable – in other words, while the person is still young.” (Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, 2003).
As you consider a Christian preschool for your child, you are a disciple after God’s heart. The Christion preschool is perhaps, the most important, the most effective, the most valuable, yet arguably one of the most easily overlooked, and forgotten Mission of the church. Bringing up children in the ways of the Lord is part of Christian discipleship and responsibility. May you and your family embrace this well.
DR OSWALD GOH