Tiny Devotional for Thursday, 11-04-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, it’s trail mix, NOT trial mix: enjoy trails; endure trials.

Listen, my child, and accept my sayings,
And the years of your life will be many.
Proverbs 4:10, NASB

If you are careful reader, you will notice that I changed “son” to “child.” It’s not that I’m woke, just that I have daughters as well.  

A careful reader might also note that this verse has an unintended reference to a modern shotgun, known as the .410 bore. The significance will not be lost on frustrated parents, who mentally might add this to the verse:

“And if you don’t listen, my child,
I will shoot you with a shotgun.”

While I DO understand the sentiment, I absolutely forbid you to act on it. There is no possible good outcome to shooting your child, no matter how much they aggravate you. Also, don’t get huffy on me and say no one has EVER thought about shooting their kid. There wouldn’t be a Bible verse warning against it, if it weren’t a possibility:

Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not desire his death.
Proverbs 19:18, NASB

Parents, the guarantee against facing times when your kids make you lose your mind is:
nonexistent.
If you have children, and raise them, they WILL make you want to pull your hair out at some point. If parenting had a “HELP!” key, the label would be worn off. That’s not because of bad parenting, it’s because we are humans. 
Actually, I suspect that good parents might suffer more than bad parents, because good parents care more. 

And 12 gauge is a better choice, anyway:

See?

JUST KIDDING!

Peace be on your household.

Comments

  1. On Christ the Solid Rock I StandNovember 5, 2021 at 6:00 AM

    Yes my Brother Pat, Train up a child in the way he should go and when He is old He will depart from it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 05-08-2024

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, bring a treat for the puppy dogs. Wisdom speaks: I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. Proverbs 8:17, NASB There is a double promise here. First, wisdom promises that this is NOT going to be a one-sided love affair. THAT'S a relief! Search your memory, for that crush you had on someone in the 6th grade that wasn't returned. Hopefully, that was the LAST time you found yourself in a one-way relationship, but we all had to learn.  Second, wisdom promises that all we have to do to find her is seek for her. We DON'T have to get dressed up with brains, education, or any achievements whatsoever; all we have to do is seek her, and she will be found. This may be a promise that can only be appreciated by someone who has had to make their living in sales (or recruiting). I did that for too many years, slaving away on the road or on the telephone, ...
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 05-04-2024

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, May the Fourth be with you! But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19, NASB   The preceding four verses warn us away from following after evil, and describes those who do so. Then, we are told WHY we should follow the path of the righteous, followed by the reason not to follow the path of the wicked. Perhaps this is the right way of teaching. This morning, I have had to deal with repercussions of someone hijacking Vanessa's Facebook account. Using this formula, how would I instruct a potential hacker?  Don't be a hacker. People who hack accounts look for ways to take advantage of other people's identities. People who use systems the way intended are able to exchange information with confidence, to include...
Read more

I will NOT share space with Four Horsemen today!

Image
Today is the sixth anniversary of the day that Vanessa and I were united in Holy Matrimony. We eloped.  The email I sent out to close friends and family said: Unless you are very prompt about checking your email, by the time you read this, we will be married. It's scheduled as a stealth event (no invites, etc) just after the 5:00 PM service at Liberty Church. Vanessa and Pat  The reason for the elopement? Except for our church family, and one or two of our bio-family, we were catching great big gobs of resistance, and some astounding roadblocks. I think most of it was well-intentioned; people didn't want us to 'rush into things.' They didn't want us to have to face the rigors of living as a mixed race couple in the south. There were some SERIOUS questions about my health, and my ability to provide proper parenting to Kenneth and Alicia, who, at ages 6 & 5, were starting first grade and kindergarten. Yeah, got that; we had spent a LOT of time working on those iss...
Read more