During our seminar on motivational gifts we ask the audience to quote Proverbs 22:6 from memory. They quote it faithfully in one accord from the King James Version of the Bible as follows: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

“You’ve left part of it out!” we exclaim. Astonished looks appear on many faces as they repeat it to themselves, trying to figure out what they’ve omitted.

Then we go on to explain. In translating from the original Hebrew language, which is more precise than our English, the Amplified Bible reads:

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6, TAB

Other versions seem to imply that if parents discipline and train their children properly they will mature into well-behaved adults. While this is generally true, all children should not be disciplined and trained in the same way. Each child is uniquely gifted by God and that will help determine the most effective type of training.

From the original Hebrew we see each child has a gift—a motivational gift—or a bent—a direction in life to be fulfilled by using his motivational gift(s). As parents we have a responsibility to discover our children’s gifts and to encourage their development, so that when they come of age they will use their gifts to the glory of God. Proper usage of God’s gifts yields true fulfilment.

This book should help you discover your children’s gifts. It also offers practical information to help you to do the best possible job of training up your children according to their individual gifts. We don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we’ve learned a lot in fifteen years of researching, teaching, and applying this subject.