December 8

Hosea 10:1-14:9; Jude 1:1-25; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 29:15-17

Children were all over the latter portion of our reading today.  Some good words about them, and some challenging words about them.  

Because I'm a melancholic in terms of temperament, I like to do the bad news first.  So let's look at Proverbs.  It isn't really bad news, either, just some general truths about cause and effect that can be hard to receive.  Maybe more of a challenge rather than a negative report.  Verses 15 and 17 are the same thought, but approached from two different directions.  

The former shows what happens when a "rod and a reprimand" are absent: the end result is disgrace for the child and, thus, the mother.  When the parent abdicates his/her responsibility to discipline the child, disaster follows.  I used to teach high school English, and I remember a mother once saying to me, "Well, I can't do anything with him."  I was so puzzled, because I am absolutely certain that if a teacher called home with a complaint about me, my parents would have taken me firmly in hand.  And I remember thinking that the parent "couldn't do anything" with a 14-year-old son because she didn't do anything when he was 1 and 2 and 3.  This truism encourages me today, as I continue to discipline our children, and it challenges me for the future, to remain consistent, to take the time, to extend the energy.  

The latter proverb shows the reverse outcome.  Peace and delight are the typical result of well-disciplined children.  It's not a promise, nor a guarantee, but in general, the more effort we put into shaping our children and teaching them to live well under authority, the more likely it is that we will enjoy them.  It's also more likely that our children will be a blessing to others, bringing peace and delight to more than just ourselves.

Now for the straight-up good news: Children are a gift.  Look at the words the psalmist uses to describe children - "heritage," "reward," blessing."  Wow!  They are our inheritance, our future.  They bring benefit (my dad once joked that his five children were his retirement plan) and protection (see the arrow imagery in Ps. 127:4).  They also bring honor.  These children reflect well on their parents; these mothers and fathers are confident as they approach parent-teacher conferences.  These parents feel sure that roommates and friends and bosses will speak well of their children.  In these verses, I'm reoriented to remember how my children are a treasure.  I am reminded that my quiver is full of good, strong arrows.  This is good, necessary news for me as a parent, but I'm also challenged to think about this psalm through the lens of being a child as well.  Am I a blessing, a reward, a heritage to my parents?  Do I bring honor to their names and lives?

It's Esther's birthday today.  She is.  She does.  And more than just my parents are blessed through her.  Love you, Esther.

- Sarah Marsh

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