When my kids were toddlers and could finally make their first sentence, my
husband and I taught them a verse of scripture that we often times used to help with discipline. We made it a rule and treated it as a sort of measuring gap to help us along. That verse was “Children obey your parents in the lord for this is right.” We explained to our kids, that this teaching came with a promise “that your days may be long on the earth”.
One afternoon while walking my son home from school, an elderly gentleman walked ahead of us using a cane for support. My son, who was seven years old at the time, kept gazing at the old man with a pre-occupied expression on his little face. Finally he looked at me and said “mom, that man must really have obeyed his parents.” I turned to look at my son as I was amazed that he had made a connection with what he had learned and what we had taught to him.
Then I used that opportunity to teach him and shared that perhaps the old man began paying attention to what his parents told him about eating healthy at an early age. I went on to explain that maybe the old man ate nutritious foods like broccoli and green beans that was healthy for him when told by his parents. I continued to share that we are what we eat and what we eat when we are younger will eventually affect us when we grow older. That incident convinced my son to eat broccoli and other vegetables which he now loves.

I was reminded of this while recently listening to a conference call where the topic of discussion dealt with longevity of life. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to share all that we can about living a healthier and sustaining life?