Do you desire to bring joy to your parents? Would you like to see them rejoice over you? Do you know what it takes to make them proud of you? Do you understand what it is your parents want for you? Is it not to be wise and successful?
I believe most of us want to please our parents. We want them to be proud of us. We want to please them and hear their praise in our ears. Yet, too often we don’t always make decisions with that in mind. What should be our guidance for making decisions that will result in our parents being proud of us?
As we see in today’s passage, parents look for their child to be righteous and wise. This passage is as true today as it was when it was written thousands of years ago. Parents want their children to do the right things. They want their children to make good decisions. How can children go about doing that?
Parents should not make all the decisions for a child as they grow up. Parents need to teach their children to make decisions for themselves. This means walking a young child through the decision-making process, helping them see the consequences of the choices, and allowing them to decide. This may mean the child suffers a setback from the decision. Yet, this will impart wisdom on the child for making future decisions.
You may think this a bit harsh. As a good parent, you won’t allow a young child to make a decision that can harm them badly. Yet, you need to allow them to make decisions that may not produce good results and allow them to feel the negative consequences. This may mean they are allowed to stay up late when they must get up early the next day. It may mean allowing them to choose their lunch, knowing they won’t really like it.
As children grow older, the decision-making process they learn when younger will stick with them. They will look at the options, weigh the consequences, and make a decision that best fits their goals. When parents and children work together on decision-making when they are young, the child will continue to ask for the parent’s advice as they grow older. The parent must be careful, especially as the children grow older, to not make the decision for the child, but help point out the consequences truthfully.
I pray we all teach our children to make wise decisions. I pray we allow them to make their own decisions. I pray each of us follow a collaborative decision-making process. Teach wisdom. Reach out to your parents. Make the wise decision. Be collaborative. Bring joy to your parents. Trust God in all decisions.
Proverbs 23:24-25
The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful!
Marty Pressey 