Cease Listening...

Cease listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge.PROVERBS 19:27 NASB

 Following my earlier train of logic about the Holy Spirit standing at the gate of where thoughts that shape the words written or spoken - this verse fairly leapt off the page to me. Our goal oft repeated in scripture is to listen and follow the words. This verse clearly says that if we stop listening we will stray.

 So many voices shouting for our attention. Th real trick is to slow down long enough to tease apart the voices of the world and the ones in our own head that scream from fear, insecurity, pain, desire and envy...

So grateful for the Spirit who promises to keep us close and speak truth.

Lord deliver me from the lie that I must always do things to be in your favor. Help me slow down and hear you. I can't even reach for you on my own without your Spirit drawing me. I want to be so filled with the life and knowledge that your words bring that the doing of your word takes root in me not to earn favor for myself but because your manifestations of the word through me is what brings about your favor.

Amen

Proverbs 29:17 Peaceful Children

Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.  Proverbs 29:17

There are companion verses that go with this, "Train up a child in the way he should go" is the most famous of them. My favorite is found in Proverbs 19:18 and says "Discipline your sons, for in this there is hope; do not be a willing party to their destruction."

The axiom here is that when we give children limits and boundaries, then hold them to it, they are just nicer people to be around.  They interrupt less, they are more careful of the space they occupy and the impact they are making on the people around them, they are generally quieter and less demanding.

I remember when my kids were small and they wanted my attention.  I'd trained them to come beside me and wait until they had my attention.  If I was in the middle of speaking to someone else, or they were speaking to me I would hold one finger up to tell them "One minute"  and then I would put my hand in their lap or take their hand so they knew I hadn't forgotten them.  They knew they were next for my attention and just quietly touching them helped them control their impatience.

Another trick I learned when they were fighting, was to put them on the couch and not let them up until they'd worked through the problem themselves, without making me the referee.  They had to talk through their frustration with each other, admit who was in the wrong, ask forgiveness, grant it, and then get up from the couch and play together again.  It put all the power in their hands to navigate the peace.  It especially helped the victim, as they couldn't get up until the one who was wronged was ready to forgive.  The one who'd behaved badly had to convince the one she'd hurt that she was sorry or they didn't get up from the time out.  It was exhausting when they were little, because I had to walk them through each step over and over, but now as teenagers and adults, they are still close and enjoy not only each other's company but I am consistently told by others how much they are respected.

The discipline that the bible is talking about is less about spankings and punishment and far more about giving them tools for mastering themselves.