Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 5-29-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by,  cold-brew coffee, and Alicia Ann made oatmeal.

A person often rebuked who becomes obstinate
Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
Proverbs 29:1, NASB

I don’t play golf. It requires specialized equipment, which I don’t have, and assorted muscle memory I have never acquired.

Which rather begs the question: WHY did I never acquire the muscle memory?
You see, my father WAS a golfer. He had trophies; I remember them from an early age. He had equipment, too. 
So, why were those skills not passed down?

It’s partially related to being often rebuked and becoming obstinate.

You see, I can only recall one period of golf instruction from my father, and that was on a driving range, when I was 30 years old. It’s not a pleasant memory. Evidently, I had faults with the way I held my feet, to the way I held my head, and everything in between. My father’s method of correction was to tell me of each fault, sequentially, rather than working on my feet, until I had that correct, and then moving on.

I contrast that with the way my mother taught me how to throw a baseball when I was 9. Her method: she took me out into the back yard, and we threw the baseball back and forth, until I could catch it.

Parents, do you want your child to become proficient, or do you want them obstinate and broken? Then model what you want them to do, from an early age; don’t rely on telling them what they are doing wrong when they are grown. The chances of success are much greater.

Peace be on your household.