As you know, I’m the parent of a teenager and three in their early 20s, and this season of life as a parent of kids who are launching is absolutely wild. One minute they are being so adulty and solving their own problems and I can’t believe I raised children who are so smart. And the next minute someone asks what pot roast is made out of and I’m not sure they’ll survive.

What I know to be true is that I can’t do it for them. Whatever “it” is, they will have to figure it out. I’ll be there to encourage or coach as needed, but their decisions are theirs now – and while I pray that they build their life on God’s wisdom, it will be up to them.

I think about this as I imagine King Solomon and other writers of Proverbs sharing the lessons they have learned and the human nature they have seen play out over and over again. The Good Life isn’t hidden from us, God has made it abundantly obvious. Solomon writes “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom,” and “If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer,” along with other practical advice “Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.” The wisdom we need is given to us here in the scriptures, but we cannot influence if people receive the wisdom. What we can do is continue to stay in prayer for those we love, so that God’s wisdom would be obvious. And we can pray for God to increase our own wisdom, and as we do, keep this in mind “People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.”

Questions for reflection:

  1. Are there people you have been trying to control lately? Are there situations where you are working hard to get your way? Take a moment and imagine giving those people and those situations truly over to God. If you can’t imagine it, try praying and asking God to help you get to a place where you want to let go.
  2. In what areas of your life might you need God’s wisdom? Are there any areas where you would rather be deemed “right” than deemed loving? Invite God’s wisdom into those places, asking him to change your heart (which is the purpose of God’s discipline!).
  3. Spend a moment thanking God for the blessings he has given, including the gift of wisdom.