Devotionals

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Proverbs 27:11
(used by permission of Christian Devotions) (excerpt from Morning Meditations by Martin Wiles)

Proverbs 27:11 My child how happy I will be if you turn out to be wise! (NLT)

I may not have said the above out loud, but when I first laid eyes on each of my children I surely prayed it silently. And at the first signs of rebellion I’m sure I voiced it again.

If you’re a parent, you’ve been there. You remember the day you first held your child and thought how beautiful and sweet they were. You couldn’t imagine them doing anything wrong or spiteful. That was before they woke you at night screaming for a bottle-for three years running. Or before they spayed the baby food they detested all over you, the table and the carpet. And before they cried, yelled and threw a temper tantrum because you wouldn’t give them their pacifier or take them where they wanted to go.

So after you discovered they weren’t the most charming children in the world, you began to worry about what decisions they would make as they got older. You remembered the peer pressure you experienced to smoke, drink, use drugs, cheat on tests, slander your teachers, cut school, run away from home, join a gang, or gossip about your friend. When they first arrived, you were sure they would always make intelligent decisions, but now with a little experience you’re not so sure. So you pray and try diligently to keep them on the right path.

“Teach your children to choose the right path” (Proverbs 22:6) is a challenging command with a double edge. The teaching is easy. Trusting our children to make sensible decisions is more difficult and disappointment always follows when they don’t.

Unlike my father, I don’t blame myself when my grown children make unwise decisions. My conscience is clear. I taught them godly standards, and if they choose to walk the broad path of disobedience, that’s between them and God. But I’m always overjoyed when they choose the wise path of faithfulness.

Our responsibility is to teach our children godly principles and turn them over to God. Love them through their failures and celebrate their triumphs. And most of all pray, pray, pray.

Prayer: Father, when our children have disappointed us and You, help us remember they are in Your loving care. www.morningliteministry.com

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