Heeding The Counsel Of Our Parents
Proverbs 6:20-23, “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:”
We find Solomon, here, addressing his son and encouraging him to heed the instruction of his father and mother. Whenever I read these verses, I am reminded of the importance of listening to and heeding the counsel of MY parents! God has placed them in my life as my authority and I am to give them the honor and respect that they deserve by listening to and heeding their instruction. I know that this thing of “kids knowing more than the parents” is becoming more and more predominant, BUT…obeying and honoring your parents is STILL and will always be the right thing to do! Ephesians 6:1&2, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)” It is a commandment that God has given us, and in disobeying our parents, we are as well disobeying God! Think of it this way – there is safety in obedience. Safety from:
- Regrets/Remorse– Proverbs 1:29-31 “For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”
- Reproach (bringing reproach on your parents)–Proverbs 10:1, “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” Proverbs 17:25, “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.” Proverbs 19:26, “He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.”
- Repercussions (the consequences that come with disobedience)-Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
If we are wise, we will heed the counsel of our parents rather than doing it OUR own way. I have seen first-hand the pain and grief it causes when an individual totally disregards the authority God has placed in their life and has instead gone their own way. I pray that, by God’s grace, I will not take that route, but will rather honor my parents by listening to and heeding their instructions.
“A wise man learns from HIS experience, but a wiser man learns from the experience of OTHERS”
~ Bethany ~