Training and Growing by Faith

By Lisa M. Faulkner

Like many Christian parents, Dr. and Mrs. Maloof of El Centro, California, have chosen to follow the principle found in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” And while discipline and structure come with a price, Mrs. Maloof expects rewards. “Discipline is something the Lord requires us to do, because He molds His children to His own image,” she says. “As parents we need to mold our children to get them into His righteousness. And many times it’s very painful to do that. But in the end we will reap what we sow.”

The fruit of the Maloof’s labor is their daughter Alex, a twelve-year-old Christian. She was first introduced to In Touch by Dr. Stanley after he met her family on a cruise to the Bahamas. Alex changed Dr. Stanley’s life by praying for him a prayer he won’t soon forget.

Testimonies from this young girl’s daily life constantly challenge and inspire her parents. “Alex affects our everyday lives mostly through her school,” Dr. Maloof explains. “She’ll come home and tell us, ‘Daddy, I brought someone to the Lord’ or ‘I prayed for somebody.’ Her faith is more than normal faith. So when she prays she believes it’s going to happen, or it’s already happened. That affects my faith in a way that I believe the same things.”

Following a child is a good thing when it leads to stronger faith and a better understanding of biblical principles. “I have one experience that I learned a lot from Alex,” Mrs. Maloof recalls. “I took her to school one time and we were late. I preached at her from the house to the school, and I came across strongly. Later on I met her and said, ‘Alex I’m sorry. We’re going to try to be more organized, but I’m sorry if I came across strong with you.’ She told me, ‘Mom, at the moment you were disciplining me, I forgave you.’”

It is not easy for parents to let down their guard and learn from their children. But Alex’s response humbled her mother because it reminded her of Christ’s undying forgiveness and love for us. “That was a lesson that freed me from that burden, and I learned how difficult it is when somebody hurts you. It’s very difficult at that moment to say you forgive that person. But when Jesus was on the cross and He said, ‘Father do not punish them. They don’t know what they’re doing’—at that moment He was being hurt. That was the message the Holy Spirit spoke to methrough her.”

Alex is poised to share the love of Christ with her peers and family because of the special dedication and sacrifice she has made to know the Lord. “Everyone can have a relationship with the Lord, just believing in Him, trusting in Him, and meditating on His Word day and night,” she explains. “You have to live it and enjoy being with Him—not just a far, distant relationship knowing about the Lord. But being close, united, and feeling Him as a friend—searching the passages from the Bible and loving Him. It’s such a wonderful experience.”

Anyone can see the Maloofs are reaping the benefits of investing in Alex’s spiritual life earlier than most parents do. Their advice to other parents is to stick together and keep God first. “We believe that we’re a team, and a team is much stronger than just one person,” Dr. Maloof says. “If I discipline Alex and tell her, ‘Alex you can’t do that,’ my wife will back me up and vice versa. We’re much stronger as a team.”

Mrs. Maloof advises prayer time together. “I encourage parents to have the time to pray, and offer their needs. The Lord answers the faith in those children, and they remember what He did when they were little. When they’re adults they will remember, ‘The Lord did this in the past. He can help me go through here through this situation.’ So it is important to put your petitions before the Lord. Also, when there’s an answered prayer, always show them that they should be grateful to Him. Never take the credit, because everything good comes from above.”