“To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.”
Not to try and improve on Solomon but can we all agree that there is no joy for anyone having to deal with a godless fool? To Solomon’s point I can attest to the fact that the most peaceful moments of my life were when I did a mental survey of my children (now also grandchildren) and knew they were all where they belonged, doing what they were supposed to be doing and were safe, happy and treating others with kindness and respect. Conversely if one was not living wisely I had a nagging unsettled concern in my spirit. We don’t live in fear when we serve our loving and sovereign Father but we recognize that, as free will agents, our offspring can make poor choices and suffer horrible consequences. That is hard to watch. God honors parents who train their children in Him but even that verse does not guarantee good decision making. It gives them a better chance to choose wisely but it is still ultimately their choice. The words used for “fool” in this verse are different. The first one means a bold self confident foolish person. They are the more dangerous. This can be seen in friends, family and employees. In those cases we can walk away from the friends whose danger spreads to those around them and we can also realign employees. Children will always be ours. Today pray for your children and trust in God. #BeTheEdge
“All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” Isaiah 54:13 NIV
