URC Daily Devotion 19 August 2026

Proverbs 22.1-6 

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
     and favour is better than silver or gold.
The rich and the poor have this in common:
     the Lord is the maker of them all.
 The clever see danger and hide;
     but the simple go on, and suffer for it.
 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
     is riches and honour and life.
 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
     the cautious will keep far from them.
 Train children in the right way,
     and when old, they will not stray.

Reflection

During the first lockdown in 2020 I was out for my daily walk and strolled through a nearby social housing estate. As usual, the streets were almost deserted, so I was surprised to be approached by a small group of children aged about 10. As schools were closed, they had – with the help of the mother of one of them – spent the morning making cupcakes, and had now ventured out to sell them to their neighbours.

I asked what they were raising money for. “Us”, they replied. They must have seen from my face that this had reduced my enthusiasm for making a purchase. One lad tried to retrieve the situation. “We made them to cheer people up in lockdown,” he declared, “people like you!” My heart began to melt and I reached in my pocket. “And,” added his friend, “we made them with love.” How could I refuse? I bought two – one for me and one to take home to my wife. As I did not have the exact money they had to calculate the change – which they did correctly. I wished them well and went on my way.

At the time, the media were full of stories about the effects of the loss of school education on children. But these children had been learning domestic science, business studies and mathematics, along with marketing and people skills – and had a lot of fun. I do not doubt the value of formal education, but this too was “training children in the right way.” As they now approach their GCSEs, I hope they remember that morning and the stranger who bought two of their cakes.

The earlier verses of this passage contain a number of other aphorisms that seem relevant to the pandemic experience. I will let you ponder those for yourself.

Prayer

Parent God,
you call us to train children in the right way.
We pray for those engaged in providing formal education,
 in school and extra-curricular activities.
We pray too for parents and neighbours who train children
by encouraging them to be children –
to learn through play, friendship and community.
May we never devalue what is learned through the ordinary interactions of life,
and encourage our children to be clever, humble and cautious.
Amen.