How do I When I never learned?
My son, keep your father's command
and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you. For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life, keeping you from your neighbor's wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman. (Proverbs 6:20-24 NIV)
So I just got done reading this passage on the youversion bible app. (great app if you don't have it I HIGHLY recommend it. ) I am doing one of their devotionals and I got to thinking. What if you don't have that strong father or mother figure to draw and learn off of? What if you didn't grow up in a Christ centered house? Then what? How are we to follow these words?
Let me just start off by saying that I had pretty good parents. Not perfect but they loved us and treated us as best they could. They divorced when I was in the 3rd grade and we had a broken family from that point on. Lots of stuff when on some good, some bad, some very bad at times. but I knew that both my parents always loved me even if they didn't always say it.
Mom did her best with 3 of us running around and dad, well he was the strong silent type. But they were both always there for us.. Both grew up as Catholics but we were never very strong into the church until my high school years.
So my point of this up until about my sophomore year in high school I didn't have that Christian outlook or guidance from a aren't (just my mother, dad is a work in progress)
How can I be expected to follow these words when I didn't grow up with them? When I had none of this guidance I am being commanded to follow?
As I read these words over and over again it occurred to me. I DID have teachings and commands to follow and to bind to my heart. Maybe they are not the ones that the Lord wants me to follow....... Wait wait wait I know you are asking then what the heck are you going to follow them for? Just stick with me here....... Ok?
I believe that the Lord wants us to still bind these things to our hearts and keep them in our minds so that as we become parents we do not make the same mistakes or give our sons and daughters bad advise or lead them in a bad example. But to learn from our past and pass on what is good and holy and right to our children.
Also remember what else do we call God but the FATHER. So follow his commands, keep them on your heart and around your neck. Because no matter what we do have a father who will always lead us on the right oath and keep our lives straight. We just have to let him steer and keep the words of this passage in our minds and hearts.
Our earthly parents do the best they can most times. I know mine did. Bt our Father who is in heaven always dies the best for us. And his teaching is a light that shines on us, lights our paths so that we may lead our families and others to the path of righteousness.
I am not married nor do I have children of my own. But Lord willing one day I will and when I do these words will lay heavy on my heart as I want my son or daughter to live right.
