Imparting Wisdom

Proverbs 22:1-6

As we travel along new and foreign roads in our life, why would we not take the map handed to us by those who have gone before? For sure, no two paths of life are exactly the same, but the lessons learned by someone else may just mean the difference between us falling in a ditch or avoiding it all-together. And if we, having journeyed down the road of life, refrain from warning the next generation of the potholes and snares, do we not hold some of the blame for their failure?

The Bible tells us that a wise man will “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” (Proverbs 1:8) But what if those lips are silent? How can those who are just beginning their life’s journey understand the wisdom it took us years to learn if we don’t share, guide and teach? Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I always believed this meant that if I raised my children in the church, I would never have to worry about them making the wrong decisions. Now that I have adult children, I see that was naive and foolish. Far too many of us parents put the mistakes of our children on our own shoulders. We carry the shame and the blame when they don't become pastors or up-standing men and women for God. We forget they must walk their own roads. I learned more by the times I fell than by the days of ease and success. They too, must learn their lessons, but there are many they can avoid if I prepare them.

I have always been very open with my children. I wanted them to learn from my hardships. I thought it would keep them safe. In a way, I think it did. They were prepared for the ugly parts of this world. They were not caught unaware by the trials that are part of each life. I pray the lessons I taught my children are buried deep, and I think seeing them fail has taught me the meaning of today's reading. We all must choose to chase a good reputation over riches or selfish ambition. We all must choose whether we will act prudently or if we will play the fool. If we are lucky, we have the godly foundation underneath all our mistakes and rash choices. I pray my adult children will fulfill verse 6. I pray that as they grow older, wiser, and more mature, they will think back to those many conversations and begin to understand them. I pray they will apply them to their lives, and it will make them stronger and more filled with faith. Training our children doesn't mean they are perfect at the end of their adolescence. It means they have a reference for faithfulness. It means they have the tools to make the right choices. Whether they do or not... that is ultimately up to them. We cannot carry their mistakes because we did not make them. We have enough of our own to answer for.

Let us be purposeful in our training, even if it doesn't appear they are listening. We are planting seeds. I am not the best of gardeners, but I do know this: Some plants sprout up immediately, some take years to grow into a plant that produces fruit. All we can do it plant, water, and weed. God will handle the bloom. Let us never doubt that He is working in our children, and let us put forth the effort to impart into their lives the truth of the glorious Word so they will one day look back and understand. So they will one day rise up and call us blessed.

(Written by Keegan Harkins.)