To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a
mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. Proverbs 29:15
Disgrace. Do we really care about what others think
of us or our children? You bet we do. There are parents who would like to walk
away from their children…and some do—but it is a wise parent who disciplines
their child at an early age, corrects their behavior and encourages good
actions so that they are pleasing to the parent and to the Lord. Even with such
efforts, some kids just cannot be reached—their will cannot be broken. Their
rebellious strong will prevails. The parents of those children still care about
what others think…and they are undoubtedly ashamed of their children…and
themselves. What can we do? We can only
pray. God is merciful and He can transform lives. It is never too late for a
life to be transformed…as long as the person is still living. I heard a mother
recently mention a transformation in her Christian son who is over 40 years
old. That is a renewal—just like Paul wrote about in his letter to the Romans. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead
with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let
them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is
truly the way to worship Him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this
world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the
way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is
good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2. Hopefully if a parent becomes a “transformed” person the children
will also be changed. We can only hope.
Prayer
~ Heavenly Father, in your infinite wisdom and mercy may those we know with
rebellious spirits be changed—transformed—to conform to the image of Jesus
Christ. That is one of our earthly goals—to be transformed into a likeness of
Jesus.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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