God is teaching much right now. So much that it's a little overwhelming at times. He's led me and my dear friend Mrs. M to read/study Shepherding a Child's Heart, by Tedd Tripp, together right now. What a blessing this is, to be helped along in becoming refocused on the children's hearts. I needed, for lack of a better phrase, a kick in the pants. It was TIME for some God-change in my parenting!
So, about the Proverbs passage above. This was in my reading yesterday. And by the way, the Parents Handbook that is sold separately from Shepherding is absolutely worth the money. It's practically a Bible study in itself, not merely a rehashing or Cliffs-notes of the book.
Obviously, this Proverbs scripture isn't telling us to never correct fools/mockers, but rather it seems to be warning us of the likely response that a wicked heart will have to rebuke.
When I read this yesterday, along with Tripp's comments surrounding it, God helped me understand some things in a completely new way. Here's what He gave me:
Which of these responses (abuse, insult, hating, OR love, increased wisdom) do I generally see in each of my children when I've corrected them? Hmmm? Wow, this was eye-opening to say the least.
Are they responding like mockers and wicked people? Or is there a love of wisdom that can say, "You are right, mom/dad, and I was wrong. I am glad to learn through correction"? Is there a humility that can recognize sin and the need for training and therefore (by God's grace and power) choose to receive, rather than resist or reject rebuke?
Oh my. Obviously I must examine my own heart in this as well. I had the big girls write this passage yesterday, then had a talk with each of them separately about it. Mostly, though, I am praying for them and must keep doing so with more faithfulness. There is much to say, think, change, and do just based on this one revelation!
God's Word always is the place to turn. I am very, very thankful that God is graciously tightening my/our focus on What Really Matters in our parenting. God, help us! (He is!)
Tripp reminds readers of this verse, so that we won't become discouraged in this process: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:19-21
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Photos of Miss CA and more blinding sunshine. The banana bread: aaahhhh, I had not baked something special and homemade in WAY too long. Got up early, started on the bread, dumped in too much banana, then had to triple the recipe. Oh, bummer, three loaves. What'll we do? Eat it for breakfast for 3 days, how about that? CA's hand in the pic cracked me up - wasn't planned. To me, it says, "oooohhhh, wow, what's this? Mom hasn't baked in forever....what are these strange bricks?"
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Count your many [Mercies], name them one by one....for He is beyond kind...
7. Pattering raindrops on the window at 6am, in the dark, just me to hear it
8. A chance to declutter/dejunk a few small areas
9. $5 for a half-dozen giant, cream gerbera daisies
10. The CRA-ZI-NESS of some of our homeschool days. I'll put this in the "not so pleasant mercies" category for now, knowing God has His good reasons for days that feel, well, rather crazy to me sometimes! I am glad to have the girls with me
11. An 8 year old who is truly a great conversationalist. I mean, were you chatting with your pregnant mom about trimesters and midwives when you were 8? I sure wasn't!
12. A great first prenatal checkup
13. Mrs. M, who watched all the girls so just the two of us could go to the prenatal appointment
Why is it so easy for us, as parents, to lose sight of the heart issues in our children? So preoccupied we can easily be with appearences and so easily satisfied with external compliance rather than heart-compliance. Lord, protect me from my own laziness.
ReplyDeleteWonderful thoughts! Wish we could share the bread.