Monday, September 10, 2012

Parenting from Proverbs: The Lips of the Righteous

Proverbs 10:31-32:

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, But the perverse tongue will be cut out.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

The first line of verse 31 as well as the first line of verse 32 really struck me: “the mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,” and “the lips of the righteous know what is acceptable.” My first thought was that I need to teach my children to have righteous words in their mouths, and, while that is certainly something I should teach them, it also applies to me. As a parent, I need to have a righteous mouth that speaks wisdom and knows what is acceptable. I certainly struggle at times with always having a mouth that speaks wisdom and knows what is acceptable, particularly in the type of attitude I portray. One thing (of many, I’m sure) that I need to greatly work on where parenting is concerned is my patience. When I get frustrated with my children, I have to remember that Ella is only 3 and Troy is only 2 (well, almost 2). I need to have patience with  my words and have a mouth that is righteous: wise and knowledgeable of what is acceptable. In order to have a righteous mouth, I must study God’s Word as Psalm 119:172 states: “My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.”

More parenting from Proverbs