Reproof and Wisdom

Last night at dinner it happened again. Annabelle’s bowl and placemat ended up on the floor and this time it included her yoghurt. I was putting dishes in the dishwasher at the time and Jona had just returned to the room when he told me. My first reaction was to think of the mess that I was now going to have to clean up and then I thought about what was going on. Our daughter is nearly two. She’s a busy girl but one who is being trained but this is an area that I have just let slide. It’s almost as if I’ve accepted that this is just what she does. I was reading in Proverbs and felt a rebuke from the Lord. It says “The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.” I can see in this situation that is my lack in consist discipline. At some point I’ve been lazy and believed the lie that I can’t do anything about it. This scripture is two-fold. It says clearly that a child who gets their own way brings shame to their mother and this is something that I don’t want; more importantly though the verse says that ‘the rod and reproof give wisdom’. This is what I desire for my daughter. Not that she would be wise in her own understanding but that she would know God’s way and be secured in it. Proverbs also tells us “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.” This wisdom is precious to me and is therefore something I must diligently impart to my children. They can learn, they can be trained and in doing so they will know peace.

Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

Proverbs 16:16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.