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

Clothespin Color Letter Matching

Inspired by a blog I found through Pinterest, I created this clothespin letter matching game with colors. I thought it would be a good opportunity to for Ella to not only practice her letters, but also learn to recognize the words for several colors. I mounted the cards on index cards (simply because it was something sturdy I had hanging around), and laminated them for extra durability. Poor Ella, though, because I didn’t do the best job clearly writing the letters on the clothespins (it was harder to write the letters than I thought it would be!). I’m going to have to go back through a few of the clothespins and fix my poor handwriting!

 

 

Be Careful What You Say

People often talk about the need to be careful about what you say around kids because they'll repeat you - good or bad. Even though Ella is barely two years old, I've already noticed how much she repeats what we say. In fact, I've caught some phrases that I say often that I didn't realize I even used. I've even noticed that she repeats the tone and manner in which I say something. It has been eye-opening at times to the fact that I don't always use the right attitude in my speech.

Truly, though, I need to be careful with what I say all the time. Not only because my two year old might repeat it, but because there is a higher standard.  Consider Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” God is always knowledgeable of the speech we use even when others may not be.

What type speech should I use?

The speech of the worthy woman in Proverbs 31 is commended: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.” (Proverbs 31:26)

Writing to the Colossians, Paul instructs: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:6)

Consider a few passages from Proverbs (there are many others):

Proverbs 10:20: “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little.”

Proverbs 10:31: “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, But the perverse tongue will be cut out.”

Proverbs 15:2: “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness”

Proverbs 21:23: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.”

Our tongue is a powerful tool – for good or evil. We must guard the words we use!