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Son
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Proverbs 1:8
I believe, as Boyd Bailey puts it, “Parents are God’s provision for protection and learning. Therefore, as we listen to them, we can learn from God… Without learning from your parents’ mistakes and building on their successes, you are destined to dysfunction. You honor your parents when you listen to them, learn from them, and obey them. You honor God as you honor your mom and dad, so value your parents because of their position rather than their performance.”
I’m very thankful for my Dad (see my May 2017 post, “Grateful to be Influenced by an Anchor Man” and my July 2014 Parents’ Day post) and Mom (see my May 2014 post on Honoring a G.R.E.A.T. Mother), who provided the kind of instruction and teaching that laid a great foundation for life.
Brother
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17:17
A little more than five years ago, I shared “Lessons from My Big Brother: How I Learned the 4 Keys of Followership.” Blake has always been a supporter of mine, and like the Proverb says, I know I can count on him in “times of adversity.” He and his wife, Kristen, are now “empty nesters”, as their youngest daughter (Raegan, pictured above) entered college at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas!
Husband
A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. Proverbs 12:4
I’m thankful for a wife of noble character, who seeks to obey God. Like Jesus Christ, she is strong and gracious, bold and beautiful, firm and friendly, faithful and loving. For more about Jennifer, check out these posts:
- February 2017 – Jennifer: A Leader After God’s Own Heart
- January 2017 (20th Anniversary) – A Couple After God’s Own Heart
- July 2014 – The ABCs of a Lifetime Partnership
- February 2014 – 4 Leadership Jewels (C.A.R.E.) from My Wife, Jennifer
As Proverbs 31:10 puts it, “She is worth far more than rubies.” And, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22).
I agree with Boyd Bailey when he says, “A noble woman is an anchor for her family. Her character provides stability when challenges creep into her home.”
Jennifer exhibits so many qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman, including:
- Good reputation
- Honored
- Respected
- Strength
- Dignity
- Hard Worker, who Gets the Job Done
- Good planner
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. Proverbs 31:18
Finally, as the second half of Proverbs 31:310 puts it, “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Father
We are all born with a sin nature. Just as Adam and Eve were instructed not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good & evil, we are drawn to things that are not good for us.
As parents, we have the responsibility to help shape and mold our kids.
To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. Proverbs 17:21
He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. Proverbs 10:5
Children want their parents to provide for them without implementing a plan for accountability. Childish children become masters of manipulation and guilt, saying, “If you really loved me…”
As parents, it’s important for us to provide what we believe is best for our children, which is often at odds with what they want.
For children who make foolish choices, we pray they will grow tired of folly and return to faith in God. Ultimately, we want to pray, “Christ, give me confidence to let them go and give them to You.”
Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. Proverbs 13:24
As Boyd Bailey puts it, “Love carefully disciplines, but apathy silently ignores. Love looks for ways to instruct and improve, while busyness has no time for a tender touch of truth. Because we love them, we correct their attitudes and challenge them to better behavior. Rules restrain them from reacting foolishly or in the flesh.”
Start children off in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6.
Child training essentially involves narrowing the child’s conduct away from unrighteousness and toward godliness. It involves keeping the child moving in the right direction and not getting sidetracked.
Ultimately, our children learn more from our example than from our words, lectures, and speeches. But we need to remember Proverbs 14:26:
Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.
May these Proverbs give you encouragement, as you shoot for the stars!