“Clarity is a gift that lightens the burden of life’s journey.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 19, 2024
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Proverbs 1:8, NIV
In Proverbs 1, we are presented with a snapshot of the parent-child relationship as it is meant to be lived. Parents are called to have the courage to offer instruction and teaching, and children should have the humility to listen and receive. This foundational truth has guided families for countless generations and should be a source of inspiration for each of us today.
We live in a time when clear direction and instruction are often derided and seen as overly authoritative. The key, we are told, is to discover your own truth, following your heart wherever it may lead. And as lovely as this may sound, it misses the foundational truth of our human condition, namely, that our hearts are often untrustworthy and filled with confused and distorted desires. As such, especially for mothers and fathers, it is vital that we are willing to come alongside those in our care and look upon them with compassion and a discerning eye, offering guidance and instruction when they are at risk of falling too far to the left or the right.
Clarity is a gift that lightens the burden of life’s journey. When parents, guided by the timeless wisdom of the Lord, offer clear guidance to their children, they invite their sons and daughters to avoid many mistakes they may have learned the hard way. Their instruction is rooted in their own lived experience and flows from a loving desire to save their children from the heartache and confusion they themselves may have experienced.
In light of this, children must increasingly learn to see their parents through this lens, as men and women who seek their good and are in their corner. Does this mean they are perfect or that their motives are always pure? Of course not. Yet, even in the most difficult situations, it is possible to look for the seed of truth and kernel of goodness that can illuminate the darkness and light the way. This requires active listening on the part of the child, opening their hearts in humility toward their parents, believing that they are God’s gift to them, even as they seek to be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ.
And chances are, in your own life today, there are ways in which you are invited to offer instruction to those in your care, yet at the same time are also called to intentionally listen to those who lead and guide you. This is a great reminder of the “both/and” nature of discipleship. Today, let us all strive to have the humility to listen and the courage to speak.
Prayer
Let’s now close by praying the words that Jesus taught us to pray.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Application
How can you grow today in humility to listen to others and in courage to speak and instruct those in your care?
Related Reading
Exodus 20:12; Proverbs 6:20-22; Ephesians 6:1-3
Worship Resource
Brooke Ligertwood: Lead Me To the Cross
Donate
If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider a donation to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision.
Download our app!
