Proverbs Jan 3

Oh! If Only They Would Listen!

Listen, my child, to your Father’s instruction and do not forsake your Mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. ~Proverbs 1:8-9

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your Father and Mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” ~Ephesians 6:1-3

This reminds me of my own parenting experience, especially as my children left the fun, innocent years of their childhood and began adolescence and beyond. Even now, I can’t begin to count the number of times that I have wished and prayed that my children would trust me and take my advice rather than choose to seek their own way and suffer the consequences of those decisions.

There’s two ways to learn wisdom, either make your own mistakes, or learn from the mistakes of others to avoid the painful consequences that came to them. Wiser to learn from others. But we have this penchant for learning the harder, experiential way. I wonder sometimes if watching our children fail and learn the hard way, when life could have gone better for them if only they would have listened, is one of the most painful aspects of parenthood. Perhaps you can relate to what I’m talking about.

Kathy and I have often said, and this probably won’t be the last time I say it in devotions this year, that parenting has taught us more about God than anything else we’ve ever done in our lives. Here in God, we have the perfect parent, trying to guide and watching us ignore His wisdom and stumble, or fail as a result. I wonder if He aches as we do, watching our loved ones suffer from the consequences of their decisions? I think He must, for He is love and He loves us intensely, more intensely than we love our own children, though that may be hard to imagine.

We want our children to listen and we rejoice when they do. In fact, a few years back, our oldest son, Matt gave this advice to his younger siblings. “You guys may as well listen to Mom and Dad and take their advice because their always right.” Well, that’s not really true, but what Kathy and I do appreciate is the friendship that we now enjoy with our adult children.

In fact, the relationship that we now enjoy with our adult children, and, hopefully, you enjoy too, with yours, is much like the relationship that God desires to have with us, His children. He desires that we grow up from just asking Him for stuff, or begging, (which depends on the temperament of the child), and grow into a simple trusting enjoyment of His presence. He is patient with us through the rebellious times, the times we ignore Him and refuse to listen, enduring until that time is past and we are restored to His side. 

Then, there is us, as parents, what do we do with all the wisdom that we have gained through our mistakes? We can use that wisdom to pray. When those we are trying to help and guide ignore us, we can be encouraged that God knows what we are enduring. We can lean on the same strength that He uses to endure with us and pray and wait for His time of restoration. We can pray that they too will gain wisdom from their mistakes and become true friends with us and with our heavenly Father Himself. I think that one of the hardest things for most of us is to remain content while chaos is happening around us. When we can do that, we are truly growing in wisdom, listening to His voice above the noise and growing a true heart in His wisdom.

Prayer: Lord, just as I want my children to listen to me and show honor, You want the same for my relationship with You. I so easily run ahead, get distracted, ignore and rebel. There are times when I’m no better with You in our relationship than my kids are with me. Lord, I still have so much growing to do in You. Thank you for your kindness and patience with me. May I use the wisdom that I have gained through my mistakes and through my walk with You to bless others today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Wisdom Song