Foolishness is tangled up in the heart of a youth;
the rod of discipline will drive it away from him.
Proverbs 22:15 (HCSB)
Today is my mother's --th birthday. I am so blessed to have been with her for over -- years. She has been a joy and treasure..most of the time. She has her idiosyncrasies, one of which is that she does not like to have her age told. {A few years ago, she had a milestone birthday. Even though her children threw her a surprise party, we had to refer to it on the invitations as "the big one".} She tells people she is "69".
Aside from this, my mother is a wise woman, exemplifying the traits of the Proverbs 31 woman. One of her more salient traits is her honesty. Sometimes we think that she is harsh or "brutally honest". At those times we call each other up and say, "Can you believe she SAID that to me?!" But, truly, she only has our best interests at heart.
This verse in Proverbs recommends that parents drive foolishness from the hearts of their little darlings , including spanking children when they need it. Some never need it because other methods are more effective. (My sister, for example, was rarely spanked.) Some need it more than others. I was in the latter category, a very strong-willed child. I got my fair share of "spankings" which were what we country-folk call "switchin's". The way it went in my family was that if one of us got in trouble, one of the siblings was asked to "go get me a switch". In utter delight, the selected sibling would go select a thin, flexible branch for the parent to use on the brother or sister. We'd get our few swats across bare legs and that was the end of that. We weren't harmed psychologically, nor did we suffer any lasting physical effects.
My mother decades ago stopped administering corporal punishment. But, if she sees us behaving in a foolish manner, she will still correct us. This is one aspect of her love for us. Loving parents do not let their children grow up believing that foolishness is "the way to go". It is easier at the time to allow children to do what they want; but, the consequences of such poor parenting are realized on down the road. Proverbs 3:12 tell us that God is our model for how to parent our children, and this is the model my parents followed.
The Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Mother prays diligently for her loved ones. She tells me that she does, and I know it to be true. Her prayers are some of my greatest blessings. There is no telling where I would have ended up, if it had not been for her prayers.
Mother is also, and has always been, a very hard worker. Recently, she came to visit us for about 3 days. During that time, she worked circles around me. Wore me out! She worked outside our home for most of her adult life. After a full day of work, she would come home and teach music lessons about 4 days a week, for 3-4 hours. Then, she would, after dinner, deal with the laundry, cleaning, and so forth. She did all this in spite of having a chronic, autoimmune disorder for most of her life. Perseverance is her middle name.
My grandparents, her parents, lived into their nineties. She cared for them in their latter years with inspiring loyalty and selflessness. My mother is caring and generous to others, especially to her children, grandchildren, extended family and friends.
I am so grateful for the gift of godly parents, and particularly on this day, my feisty mother. Happy Birthday, Mama. I love you!
Heavenly Father, thank you for how you blessed me with a wonderful father and mother. They were such excellent examples of godly parenting. Thank you for how you love and correct me when I go off onto some thorny path, whether Your correction comes through circumstances, the conviction of your Word or through the wise advice of others. In Jesus' name, amen.
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