Proverbs 23:15-16 — Wise Saying #14

READ THIS: Proverbs 23:15-16, Wise Saying #14

15 My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed; 16 my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Do you ever think about what might make your parents the proudest of you? I used to do that a lot and oftentimes still think in my head, "oh, sweet, my parents are gonna think this is awesome." But, most of the time, it was about doing well at a sport or achieving academically. I rarely thought about my character and how that might make my parents proud. 

For parents and God alike, one of the things that makes them the proudest is NOT what we are doing but instead who we are becoming. Are we seeking after wisdom? Are we speaking what is right? Encouraging others and lifting them up? If someone took away all your awards and good grades and medals, would there still be amazing things to say about you?

I know pretty much everyone reading these blogs, so I can go ahead and say ABSOLUTELY. There are INCREDIBLE things to say about ALL of you, whether you're Sam or Mr. Earl or anyone else, and none of it has to do with the the things you've accomplished. It's about y'alls hearts. 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. What do you think makes your parents the proudest of you? What makes you think that?

2. What are you proudest of? Do you think that's what makes God the "proudest" of you?
 
TRY THIS:

After this whole devo, thought it might be good to ask y'all to read these bonus verses:

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

It is okay and good to want to make your parents proud. In fact, I would say that is Biblical, but at the end of the day, the ultimate person we are trying to please is God. Sometimes, our parents can care far more about certain things rather than who are because they aren't perfect people. If we spend our lives pleasing our parents, we might miss out on a few things that God has in store for us!

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2023 at 5:32 AM

    This is so spot-on. As a parent, my children's character is a HUGE source of joy, far beyond accomplishments. And, when I place too high of a premium on performance-based markers (b/c I'm not perfect, thank you for that acknowledgement!), we know that God's joy in our character never wavers or becomes overshadowed by grades or placements in races or number of goals scored or what role we got in the play or whatever else it may be. Y'all are the best group and your encouragement and care for each other is amazing!!

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