Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 06-05-2021

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, some blatant bragging.

Now then, my children, listen to me
And do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 5:7, NASB


February 24, 1983, is a red-letter day for me; it’s the day I became a father. That’s when my education about unconditional love began.

Just writing those words brings back some powerful memories and emotions. I’ve been sitting here, staring at the keyboard, for some infinite and unmeasurable time, while mental images cascade inside my head. This morning, though, I only have 300 words available, so you won’t be getting any of that.

Instead, I want to hammer this idea HARD: godly instruction is not a straitjacket, intended to control. It’s a support system; it’s training wheels. It’s labeling the keys on the keyboard so you know which ones to press. It’s a recipe.
And, like most recipes, the instructions found in the Book of Proverbs only give you the basics; there is plenty of room for experimentation. Just don’t think you are going to be able to put bleach in the ice cream and still get a good result. That’s not experimentation; that’s just plain stupid.

So, here’s the bragging:

Yesterday, I went with my gift-from-God, happily-ever-after trophy wife Vanessa, the elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother of Woodstock, GA, to see Kenneth and Alicia graduate from a ROTC leadership course. They had four weeks of after-school instruction, followed by a week of day camp. It was highly structured.

Still: Please note Alicia Ann’s blue fingernails, as she salutes after receiving her award. 

And the take-away is: good instruction, even godly instruction,  leaves plenty of room for individual expression.

Peace be on your household.


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