Childish Wisdom
“A wise child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.”
The author of Proverbs 10:1 has it right: The sooner our children figure out how to successfully navigate life, the better and more liberated we parents and grandparents feel.
As the parents of three grown children (and now nine-month-old grandson!), Beth and I shared in a momentary “empty nest” syndrome. We definitely missed the daily interactions and vicarious excitement of enjoying our children’s expanding social network and world view when they were younger. We loved sharing in their many activities and enjoying their friends. And we certainly missed all of that as the busyness of sharing in their activities lessened with the maturation of each child.
But our sadness was momentary. Perhaps this was due in part to a sudden liberation back to a forgotten world of quiet evenings, open Saturdays and the ability to eat out more than rarely.
On the other hand, I think our empty nest syndrome was briefer than we expected because we shared a deep satisfaction. We felt that we did our job, that our child and adolescent rearing mission was accomplished. And this was not because of us alone. Thanks to grandparents, teachers, and countless Sunday School, Youth, Children’s workers, ministers and adult mentors along the way, our children were more than ready to be released into the broader world. They had the basic tools necessary for a continued lifetime of cultivating the God-given gift of wisdom (sometimes better translated “skillful living”). This “makes a glad father” (and mother!).
A wise child also becomes a wise adult; they grow into a person who is learning to live skillfully. They still need us (and we need them!). But generally, they are prepared to make better choices, act with more discretion, share in kindness, live with humility, and interact with compassion. Each is a vital component of skillful living, regardless of the self-seeking gripes and protests of other influential voices. The Bible is pretty clear. And given all that we encountering with each passing week, today’s increasingly chaotic world needs wise, compassionate adults more than ever.
Let us help each other to grow in wisdom and to expand a sense of humble compassion. Also, let us be available to our growing group of young parents here at FBCD. You might just have some valuable insights they or the rest of us need!
Prayer for the Week:
Lord, give me this great gift of learning to be wise. I know that I need a lifetime of experience to offer the kind of wisdom you need for our world. But help me today to use what wisdom I have to the best of my ability, and to know that with your help, what I have is enough for now. Amen.
David Jordan
Senior Pastor