There is an African proverb that says, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” I don’t agree. I do not know about your village but mine is full of men who have no fear of God at all. Enemies of the cross, men who view the message of the cross as foolishness. Our closest neighbors and majority of the people in our community are Christ haters.
What does our motto say? It says “For God and my country.” It portrays Uganda as a God-fearing nation. A nation that puts God before anything and everything else. But is this really true? You know better! This is not what we see on the ground.
Still in doubt? Look at our Ugandan music. It’s much easier finding a boda boda man who obeys the rules than a song by the top Ugandan musicians that is good for both your eyes and ears. Or that you can comfortably listen to and watch with your kids. Of course the assumption here is that I’m talking to sober parents–those who have been transformed by grace to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12). I hope you’re one of them.
The question for such parents is: How are we to raise godly children in this perverted world?
Parents must take up the God-given responsibility to educate their children.
If you must, you may want to read this with your glasses on: The best teacher for your children is you. It is not the egg-head in your community with a PhD. Or that young man in your neighborhood whose shirt is always tucked in and hands always white with chalk. No! It is you! You! You! You!
Why do I believe this? Because this is what God says. Before you throw my argument in the dustbin, I beg you to first study Deuteronomy 6:4-9 carefully. According to that passage, to whom does God give the responsibility to raise up children? Schools? Government? Daycares? Of course not! God commands parents to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the LORD. To teach God’s word to their children. And to do it diligently. Not to do it once a month or once a week. But to give them the bread of life every single day of the week.
It’s not a do or die that our children should become doctors or engineers or lawyers. Or become great men and well-known men in this world. But there is this truth that is non-negotiable. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This one is a do or die truth. Without it, our children will perish. Before we worry so much about our children’s career, we must first make it our non-negotiable duty to make YAHWEH known to them.
Proverbs 22:6 says: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” My wife and I are so impressed with our 3years old son. We have not yet started classes with him on language arts. But he is fluent in English. Do you know what? This is how children are. They are born with great abilities to learn new things.
They learn by hearing what we say, by seeing what we do, and by walking in our footsteps.
The greatest gift that God has given us in them is that in their early stages, they are eager to learn by consuming information without questioning it. They simply want to know it and believe it.While they are still young, that is the golden age for parents to shape their world view. When they start asking these golden questions: Who is God? Who created God? Where was God when he was creating this world? Who is the father of God? And why are we here?
No parent should miss this opportunity of giving biblical answers to their children’s questions. This is why parents must be full time in the lives of their children. When mummy is not at home with them, daddy should be around. If we desire to raise our children in the fear and discipline of the Lord, we must be present in their lives. There is no nobler duty than this one. What does the world say? It says, this ain’t worth it. But God says that there is nothing that you will achieve in the lives of your children that can compare to teaching them the whole counsel of His word. All that matters is preparing them for the day that they will leave your home with all of their arrows ready and sharpened by God’s word as militants deployed in the army of Christ to wage war against this world’s vanities.
Parents must avoid the habit of sending their children to public schools.
When the Israelites inherited the land of Canaan, they were surrounded by the following nations: The Moabites, The Philistines, and The Canaanites. The LORD God warned the Israelites “not to intermarry with them” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). Why? because these nations worshipped false gods. And if they did, they would turn away their children from following Yahweh to serve other gods.
This is where Christian parents are ticking a wrong box. When you send little Davie to be educated by non-believers, what should you expect? Obviously, what you sow is what you reap. This saying is true: “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals.” (1Corinthians 15:33). When parents hand over little Davie to walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand, and sit among them, they should not be surprised when he comes back home with all sorts of bad behaviors.
The other issue is that government and private schools in Uganda operate as if there is nothing more to life than to be in a classroom.
Here is the schools and other institutions Calendar for 20251
| Term | From | To | Days |
| Term I | Monday 3rd February, 2025 | Friday 2nd May, 2025 | 89 Days |
| Term II | Monday 26th May, 2025 | Friday 22nd August, 2025 | 89 Days |
| Term III | Monday 15th September, 2025 | Friday 5th December, 2025 | 82 Days |
| Total | 260 Days | ||
Holidays
| Term | From | To | Days |
| 1st | 3rd May, 2025 | 25th May, 2025 | 23 Days |
| 2nd | 23rd August, 2025 | 14th September, 2025 | 23 Days |
| 3rd | 6th December, 2025 | 1st February, 2026 | 57Days |
| Total | 103 Days |
According to this Calendar, out of the 365 days in a year, parents spend only103 days with their children during holidays. All the rest of 260 days, children spend them at school. The question that we must ask here is: Who are the teachers in public schools? Obviously, The Phaneroo guys, The Seventh day Adventists, The Jehovah witnesses, The Roman Catholics, The Muslims, The Mormons, and men who regard God as irrelevant. Our children spend 260 days under the feet of these teachers being trained to view the world in the same way they do. To falsely view God in the same way they do. To love the world in the same way they love it. To love money in the same way they do. To define success the same way they define it. To pursue sensual pleasures the same way they do. And to despise God the same way they do.
This has to change. If Christian parents desire to see their children growing up as soldiers of the cross.
Conclusion
What do you want your children to be most? Do you desire your children to know Christ? I must assure you that it will cost you a fortune. It will cost you time. It will require a mom working outside home to step down so that she can be available for her children. It will sometimes require you to lower your standards of living. But then, this is what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Unless you are willing to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus, you are not fit to be his disciple.
I therefore encourage parents to take this path. Why? Because there is nothing that you will achieve in the lives of your children that can compare to teaching them the whole counsel of God’s word. And also preparing them for the day they will leave your home with all of their arrows ready and sharpened by God’s word as militants deployed in the army of Christ to wage war against this world’s vanities.
References
1 . https://www.education.go.ug/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCHOOL-CALENDER-2025.pdf
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