Walk of Life – Day 6 – February 2022, Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs – Love!
My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Proverbs 6:20
Love thy Father’s Commandment and thy Mother’s Law
We all have grown up listening to Ephesians 6:1 and one of the ten commandments that says “Obey your father and mother.” We have heard it so many times that we are almost tired of hearing someone say that we should listen to our parents. A very common argument is that nothing that they said applies today. We are the next generation and they just do not seem to understand. Why listen to them, their thoughts and ideas are completely outdated. We live in a high-technology world, a world where everything is at your doorstep at the touch of a finger. They have hardly eaten in hotels, forget Zomato and Swiggy, they never had the Internet in the first place, they actually searched books and not kindle, for them apple was only something you eat…seriously the list is endless. Still the Bible says, Love your father’s commandment and your mother’s law.
I was thinking, what are the most precious commands of a spiritual, God-fearing dad and a prayerful mom that we need to love and follow?
The one that stands out for me is meekness, humility, and simplicity. Our fathers were simple, humble people who could accept their mistakes, forgive, forget, and move on. They never boasted about their jobs or their salaries but only about their love for the Lord Jesus, His Word, His people, and His House. They taught us to read and study the Bible, something totally and completely lacking today. They never searched for messages or sermons on Google but spent hours on their knees waiting for a Word from the Lord. I remember several instances when dad would say he prepared something else but spoke something totally different because that is what the Lord wanted him to speak. They taught us integrity, honesty, and hard work. Nothing in life comes easy, nothing in life just knocks at your doorstep, hard work pays and it definitely does. Telling a lie and getting away with it is very difficult so do not even try it. Tell the truth always. Do not spend lavishly, save for the difficult days, there will be times you will really need that saved-up money. As much as in you, do not borrow, but always be a cheerful giver. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38.
In today’s day and age when people speak about women empowerment, what did our prayerful godly mothers teach us? The first thing that always comes to my mind is adjustment and letting go, not harboring grudges, forgiving and forgetting, being good, kind, and loving even to those who harmed or hurt you. They taught us to be submissive to our husbands, not to shout back or fight back, to take everything to the Lord in prayer and He would solve it. They prayed for everything, if there is no food, if there is no fees, if there are many guests coming, if they are cooking a new dish…everything was done with a silent, fervent word of prayer. They taught us that beauty is not in wearing expensive clothing or makeup or ornaments but in the quiet, meek spirit of a broken and a contrite heart, which is very precious in the sight of the Lord. They were hospitable even to strangers, they cooked huge meals with ease, brought up so many children in the fear of God, never have we skipped family prayers, ran out of church, we had to quietly sit through the service or we knew the consequences.
Truly love those laws and commandments when I think of them today. Those are what has shaped and molded us and helped us to be tiny candles for the Lord Jesus in this darkened world. Pause for a moment and think what your own parents and your spiritual parents have taught you. Love them and follow them and truly you will be a blessing to many around you.
