Teaching Your Children to Be Wise

Reprinted from ReadyAimLife

What if I told you it was possible for your children to be wise?  How would you like it if your kids moved from naivety to knowledge? Where would your sons end up if they understood the words of the wise and their riddles?  Is it possible for your daughters to be wise in their behavior, righteous in their endeavors and exhibit justice and equity in their dealings with others?  Too big of a stretch?  Think again!

If I had a pill they could take and become that kind of person I would be an instant zillionaire. It’s amazing what parents are willing to do to help their children succeed in life.  We buy $135 baseball bats, we hire private tutors, and send them to gymnastics, dance lessons and karate.  But when it comes to investing in their wisdom acquisition we aren’t quite sure what to do.  Oh we may send them to the youth group at church but we wonder if they are making real progress.  It doesn’t help that by the time they are in early elementary school they feel like they already know it all.  And don’t even get the parents with teenagers started about the aversion to instruction for that decade.  What is a parent to do?

I am not a doctor but I have a prescription.  They need a daily dose of the Proverbs and I am not talking about the sayings you find in a fortune cookie. But rather they need time tested, God-inspired wisdom.  You may or may not realize it but the Bible contains a book called Proverbs that is a collection of the wise saying of the sages of the ages.  Most of these pithy sayings are very, very practical in nature dealing with real life.  In fact most of the things that you quote your grandmother as saying probably started from something in the proverbs (if you don’t believe me just read them through sometime).  Thirty-one chapters of sayings, instruction, warnings, and directions that is a virtual library to the parent helping the younger generation understand how to live.

Word to the wise (yes, I am talking to you) (well, maybe): Just like the flight attendant instructs you that in the event that there is a drop in cabin pressure you must first put the oxygen mask on yourself before assisting your children, so you must become wise before instructing your children.  I am not saying you have to be a guru before starting the journey but you have to be on a journey before you can start them on one.

Simple challenge:  Would you consider working your way through the Proverbs (34 pages in my Bible) looking for wisdom for yourself and your children.  I know of folks who read a chapter of Proverbs every day corresponding to the date of the month (31 chapters- 31 days). Put your mask on first and then start helping your kids breath the clean air of wisdom.

Photo by  basictheory