Proverbs 17:6 Proud Parents
How our eyes shine when our children shine too. Parents and grandparents alike revel in the success of their offspring. God is a proud Parent too.
Here is another stand-alone proverb for us today. This one is very hopeful. Usually the proverbs being offered have a bit of a ‘bite’ to them. They warn of impending trouble if things don’t change. If read with an eye looking for ‘the other shoe to fall’ this one gives a warning too.
When I first read this verse, as a grandmother myself, my heart swelled. I have eleven grandchildren and LOVE every one of them! They are most certainly “the crown of the aged”, even if I don’t feel aged. Then I started really thinking about the meaning of this verse. Solomon wasn’t saying that just having grandchildren gave you a ‘crown.’ What he was saying was that the accomplishments, actions, and character of children are reflected back on their parents and grandparents.
My oldest grandchild graduated high school last year and got his first job. My joy in his accomplishments soared alongside his parents. His brother is slated to graduate this year. He had a difficult time with high school so has been attending on line all four years. His progress makes my heart soar but his inability to make friends leaves me sad. As a grandparent, their ups and downs bring me along with them. My ten year old granddaughter is one that occasionally causes me distress. She is the only one of all the groups that is an only child, and her attitude bears that out. She often worms her way out of work and ignores her parent’s direction. The three of them have finally decided to address this.
As a parent, I’m proud of my children and their accomplishments. My oldest son is now a CEO of his company. My youngest just graduated from college with a good trade. But I am also deeply saddened by the fact that none of my children carried the lessons they learned in their youth about God forward in their families. My husband’s two did and this brings me great joy. Four of our grandchildren are from his two.
A child’s actions reflect back on the person who raised them. In Solomon’s time the children were raised and cared for in generational homes. The grandparents had a lot of influence on how the grandchildren turned out. In today’s world, at least in the United States of America, many children are raised primarily by their grandparents. The parents are absent to the grandparents take up the task.
Another BIG difference in my time and Solomon’s time is that in my nation at least the CHILDREN seem to run the household. This ought NOT to be so! Children need guidance, direction, love, AND discipline. When they are in ‘charge’ they get none of that. And their children turn out to be a stone around the grandparent’s and parents necks. A child raised in a home where there are no limits learns to only value themselves. Their appetites for more are insatiable. They OFTEN embarrass their parents and grandparents with their efforts to feed their own ‘need’.
I firmly believe that this is THE root cause of all the violence we see in our society. We keep trying to appease them by giving them more of what they want and it has backfired on us!
I am NOT advocating for “children should be seen and not heard” mentality. But they NEED and DESERVE love with limits. Without those they will not rise to the pinnacles of success (or even good citizenship) that brings glory and honor to their parents and grandparents.
The BEST guide for raising children is our bible. I am NOT saying that every child in the Bible turned out perfect. The first murder happened between brothers. What I am saying though is that children who are raised with godly principles WILL return to those in their adult life, even if they stray from them for a time. How do I know? Because God told Solomon so and he shared it with us. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). That is a promise I hold onto with both feet, hands, and even my teeth!
God is the BEST Parent there ever was, is, or could be. He LOVES to watch His children succeed. He is not afraid to use the discipline needed to bring us up correctly. HE knows ALL about limits with love! And He shared His ‘parenting advice’ in His book.
Children raised according to His book learn to value life. They learn respect for their elders. They learn the value of hard work. They learn limits with love. And they become the leaders we can be proud of because of their lessons. They are a crown for their grandparents and glory for their fathers.
Father God, I pray that my life gives honor and glory to my parents and grandparents. All my grandparents have gone on to be with You but their lives inspire me still. Thank You for their influence in my life. Especially the influence in my parents lives that taught them of You. I have no idea where I would be if it were not for their love for You. I’m GLAD I learned as a child many of the lessons You had for me. I know I resisted some of them but You never gave up. And neither did my parents!!! THANK YOU for that too.
I KNOW You hold my children’s lives in Your hands. I gave them to You when they were still infants. You watched over their lives as they grew. I taught them of Your love the best way I knew how. I’m sure I made MANY mistakes but I trust Your promise FULLY to bring them back to You. I lay them once again in Your hands, along with their children. As scary as this sounds, do what it takes Father to get their attention.
