Train A Child....

As a child do you remember your parent’s telling you “Stop crying before I give you something to cry about”?  Do you remember the fear that was placed in your heart from that statement? Growing up that never made sense to me, I always felt that I was crying for a reason… but I find myself telling my children the same thing.  Last night I watched  ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’ and Tyler Perry was on there, he said something that really spoke to my heart and made me evaluate the way I do things.  He said that once his mom died he was able to release everything he was holding inside about being molested as child.  At that moment my heart went out to him because I understood where he was coming from. 

Back in the day things were much different than they are now, every family had secrets (and kept them)! Parents and grandparents instilled fear in their children that kept them from being able to express themselves without fear of being chastised.  This fear was passed down from one generation to the next and made children always respect their elders, but in life we know that with every pro there is a con. The fear that was passed down also brought the cycle of children enduring pain at the hands of loved ones or close friends of the family and not speaking on it.  Parents often built barriers so strong and so high when instilling fear that even when children tried to express themselves their words fell on deaf ears.  Many say that we need to go back to the old way of doing things, but I do not fully agree.  I do feel that we should instill fear in our children, but only enough for them to know that parents and adults should be respected, not enough to halt them from standing up for themselves or sharing things with us that we need to know.  Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, I don’t feel children should be able to talk back and freely say disrespectful things nor do I think a child should consider their parents a friend.  But I do feel that they should be confident in trusting their parents enough to know that they will ALWAYS protect them no matter the consequence or the subject at hand. My view is as people and parents we should evolve.  Evolve is defined meaning to develop something gradually.  We should take things from the past and the things we know now and develop a better way to raise our children.  As a parent it should be more important to protect your child than to uphold an image to the public. There is a message behind every voice and you never know who you can save by speaking out. 

Today my voices are praying “I pray that I rear my children in a way that they understand the difference in right and wrong as well as respect from disrespect.  I pray that they know how to handle the circumstances they are faced with in life and if they can’t I pray that they know that I will always be there for them regardless of who or what will be affected in the process.  I pray that they have a close relationship with God and that they seek him in everything and never be so afraid of me that they keep something from me in fear of the consequences. I pray that they know when to speak and when to be quiet and I pray that I know the same." Amen

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

...Until Next Time

The Value of Wisdom: Proverbs 2

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that many people interpret the same situation multiple ways…and this doesn’t necessarily mean that some people are right and others are wrong.  It just means that it’s their PERSONAL perception so it may not be the same view as the masses.  The same thing can be said for a sermon or a bible scripture.   

As I continue to feed my spiritual self, I think my physical being will benefit as well…whether it be from condemnation or awareness .  Below is the reading for December 2, 2011.

Proverbs 2

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 2

The Value of Wisdom

 ¹ My son, if you receive my words
   and treasure up my commandments with you,
²making your ear attentive to wisdom
   and inclining your heart to understanding;
³yes, if you call out for insight
   and raise your voice for understanding,
⁴if you seek it like silver
   and search for it as for hidden treasures,
⁵then you will understand the fear of the LORD
   and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For the LORD gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
   he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
⁸guarding the paths of justice
   and watching over the way of his saints.
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice
   and equity, every good path;
¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹ discretion will watch over you,
   understanding will guard you,
¹²delivering you from the way of evil,
   from men of perverted speech,
¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness
   to walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴who rejoice in doing evil
   and delight in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵men whose paths are crooked,
    and who are devious in their ways. ¹⁶So you will be delivered from the forbidden^[a] woman,
   from the adulteress^[b] with her smooth words,
¹⁷who forsakes the companion of her youth
   and forgets the covenant of her God;
¹⁸ for her house sinks down to death,
   and her paths to the departed;^[c]
19none who go to her come back,
   nor do they regain the paths of life.
 ²⁰So you will walk in the way of the good
   and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright will inhabit the land,
   and those with integrity will remain in it,
²²but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
   and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Thy Will Be Done

Today as I was going with my normal work day, I had a ticket to work…as I resolved the computer problem, I found myself being much more open than I am with other people. I began talking to Mrs. Sandra  and sharing some things with her and she told me to start reading proverbs. She explained how there are enough chapters in proverbs for me to read a chapter a day and I will find that the more I read the more things will start being revealed to me. She even said that I’ll probably see a lot of sayings that my parents used. She’s going to be retiring in a few weeks so she gave me her card that reads "Lord help me remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together cant handle" When I left her desk I had to give her a hug..she probably has no idea what she has done for me but I believe that God used her as a vessel this morning.

My prayer lately has been for guidance from God and the ability to follow through with what it is he’s leading me to and through. I’m saying all of this to say that I’m looking forward to my readings of proverbs. Sometimes you may not understand what is happening in your life, but God is always in control. If you just allow him to lead you, there’s no telling where you may end. She told me to read the English Translation because it would be easier to understand and I did just that…lo and behold the second verse jumped off the page and immediately got my attention Proverbs 1:2-4 To learn wisdom and moral instruction, and to discern wise counsel. To receive moral instruction in skillful living, in righteousness, justice and equity. Verse 5 went on to say ‘Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire guidance!’

After reading this I knew that this was definitely a message sent to me from God! Who knows…this may be the 1^st step that will lead me to my rightful destination…and it may be the final…I’m excited to find out either way!

I’m still a work in progress, but I’m sooo excited to be one step closer!!

So join me this month in my quest to read a chapter a day. Until next time!