Purposed Parent Connected Child Podcast Episode 011 - Roots of Wisdom
Welcome to the Purposed Parent/Connected Child Podcast
Episode #011 – Roots of Wisdom
Are you yearning for greater connection with your child? Would you like to parent beyond the moment with eternal perspective? Let’s grow together now with practical tips, scripture, and stories geared to draw your heart to Jesus and guide your child into His arms.
My favorite time of year has finally arrived with the weather I love! Spring and the promise of new birth, growth, and warmer weather is such a beautiful season. Although I love fresh air and my walks with one of my daughters, I don’t get out in my yard much. We’ve never been able to grow grass and when it rains a lot like it has this spring, being in our yard means you’re wading in a mud pit.
Years ago I discovered that we will probably never have a beautiful yard. Maybe you are one of the people who have thick, beautiful grass that invites you to remove your shoes and walk barefoot safely without stepping on sticks, rocks, or dirt clumps, and you have no idea what it is like to navigate mud or water puddles. I doubt that you are like me with a yard that just cannot grow grass and invites any mole within a two mile radius to settle in for the long haul.
My husband and I have had a few discussions about what must be attracting the moles to our yard. Since we have been unable to get rid of them, I often say we just need to figure out the root cause. Then we should be able to begin the journey to finally getting rid of the destructive rodents. The same is true of our children. No matter the type of behavior we see, there is a root cause that has built a foundation for acceptable behavior or a root cause that is prompting the objectionable actions.
I believe the children of this generation are bombarded with way too much and roots are growing inside them that will reflect in shown behavior now or in the future. Many children see too much through electronics, accidentally exposing them to pornography, or they may be subjected to online issues on social platforms with strangers seeking them as targets. Schools and universities have been indoctrinating our children for years and the lies they feed them about sexuality, our country, and the sanctity of life are eroding and/or destroying the innocence and beliefs God would have them carry. There is so much to be said on this topic, but I believe the root cause of the destruction of America and godly values this country was founded upon stems back to the condition of our hearts.
Unless we purposely examine our relationship with God and our beliefs about Him, then honestly explore what we are doing to draw nearer to our Heavenly Father if we profess to love Him, our choices and inaction will further indoctrinate our children with the belief that God is not important and He is not worth placing first in our life. If this is the message our children see and feel by our inactions and attitude, this is the action they will mimic, despite what our words instruct them to do.
Obviously there are many root causes to behavior, but as the Bible instructs us in Luke 6:45, “The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
When the heart of a mother is full of the truthful goodness of God, built through a personal, growing relationship with Jesus, the overflow will pour into the heart of her children.
Does this mean that every day will be smooth for Christian mothers or their children? Goodness, no! In fact, it will probably be harder in many ways. Think of Job in the Bible. Satan targeted Job because of the relationship he had with God. There will be trials, especially if you hold fast to God. Evilness and destruction are the trademark of Satan. Scripture warns us in 1 Peter 5:8 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
In future episodes of Purposed Parent/Connected Child, I want to delve more into behavioral root causes, and how that behavior may manifest, but for now I want to start at the basic truth of the condition of our human heart.
I am beginning a Scriptural Summer Series that will air on this podcast, as well as my Live With Eternal Perspective episodes. People are out and about and often so busy during the summer months. I know we are as I try to enjoy every second of the gorgeous weather I look forward to all winter! As I read from the Bible of the podcasts, I pray God’s word will penetrate each of us where we need Him most. I also hope that hearing His word will prompt each of us to seek Him more often and begin a regular reading plan if one doesn’t already exist.
Today I would like to start in Proverbs 4. Let this reading prompt you to look up these verses in study Bible and continue learning more on your own. Another suggestion I love to give is to let this selection of verses lead you to a discussion together as a family, or at the very least as mother to children.
Proverbs 4:1-27 speaks to the blessing of wisdom. We know true and lasting wisdom only comes from God. Through seeking and walking closely with God because of our personal relationship with Jesus, we come to know and recognize what comes from God and what does not.
Without godly wisdom that comes from reading, studying, and practicing God’s word, we are unable to recognize or handle root causes in our own life and the lives of our children. Ignorance and inaction leads to sin and troubles. Every parent needs the wisdom our Heavenly Father wants to supply in abundance if we only ask.
“Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
For I give you sound teaching;
do not abandon my directive.
When I was a son to my father,
tender and the only child of my mother,
he taught me and said,
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands and you will live.
Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn from them.
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you;
love her, and she will guard you.
Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom.
And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.
Prize her, and she will exalt you;
if you embrace her, she will honor you.
She will set a garland of grace on your head;
she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
Listen, my son, and receive my words,
and the years of your life will be many.
I will guide you in the way of wisdom;
I will lead you on straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
when you run, you will not stumble.
Hold on to instruction; do not let go.
Guard it, for it is your life.
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
Avoid it; do not travel on it.
Turn from it and pass on by.
For they cannot sleep
unless they do evil;
they are deprived of slumber
until they make someone fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining brighter and brighter until midday.
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
My son, pay attention to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not lose sight of them;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and health to the whole body.
Guard your heart with all diligence,
for from it flow springs of life.
Put away deception from your mouth;
keep your lips from perverse speech.
Let your eyes look forward;
fix your gaze straight ahead.
Make a level path for your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your feet away from evil.”
If we carefully search the verses I read, we recognize the setting of a family in verses 1-4. God ordained a family to be established by a man and a woman. Proverbs 4 is not the only book in the Bible that reveals this truth. That statement isn’t popular and is often attacked violently today, however I believe Christian parents have the duty to seek, find, and follow God’s wisdom and teach it lovingly to our children. Society twists the desires of man into whatever shape feels good. Unless we raise our children to revere and honor God, they will follow more and more fleshly ambitions and our children will soon be unrecognizable as they develop ungodly desires and actions due to ignorance and indoctrination. Sharing the truths of God and what He knows is good and proper for us to follow and practice is not condemning. We can love those who do not follow God’s word, but we cannot allow our children to be influenced by remaining silent or succumbing to allowing them to follow others into the pain and heartache that results from sinning against God.
The verses I read from Proverbs 4 also reveal to us that obtaining wisdom means realizing that no one carries it in the beginning; only God can provide it to us as we humbly seek Him. God shows no favoritism; anyone who seeks Him, asking for His wisdom, studying His word, and practicing His ways will obtain it. Without the wisdom that comes from our Heavenly Father, each of us is lost. We stumble in our own sinful, ignorant, willful ways causing pain and destruction when we could live with abundant joy, hope, and peace instead.
Because our heart is wicked, we cannot achieve the wisdom of God on our own and we definitely do not receive it all at once. Every moment reveals choices we must make, actions we can take that honor God and His desires for us. When we listen to the will and ways of God, we must open our heart, mind, and spirit, then make the choice to forgo pride and stubbornness to allow Him full reign of our emotions, actions, and reactions. That is when true wisdom will be passed to us to hold as treasure and teacher as our walk with God deepens and our behavior is eternally changed.
As we continue in the ways of God, we will receive and recognize discernment from Him, then continue to receive that godly insight. One of the riches of obtaining God’s wisdom is that as we walk closely with the Lord, acknowledging and using His wisdom each day, we will be able to discern how to live. The decisions or choices we make will be protected choices God would have for us. If we stumble, we will also be able to discern quickly how to resolve issues or change course to remain steadfastly in the center of God’s good will. In contrast, those who do not seek the wisdom of God will continue falling into the wickedness of their heart or the ways of this world, living with pain and heartache that could have been avoided.
I believe the root cause of wickedness and troubles in this world is the condition of our heart. Our children cannot obtain what we do not have to give. It is imperative that we purpose to know and honor God more each day. We never want to be the person we are today when tomorrow arrives. Don’t you desire the same for your children or grandchildren?
What we are today shapes who our children become tomorrow.
Remember the words of Proverbs 4:13, which says, “Carry out my instructions; don’t forget them, for they will lead you to real living.”
Teach your children to honor God because they see Him in you and recognize the love and honor you hold for our Heavenly Father. Help them seek God’s instructions so lovingly revealed and shared with us so that we can each live for eternity while on earth today.
Dear Heavenly Father, How good You are to us! You reveal all we need to know for living life under You. Thank you for allowing us grace and free reign. Thank you for entrusting us with Your wisdom if only we seek and ask. Father, I know each of us hurt You daily. Help us to turn from our wicked ways and humbly submit to You in new ways that draw our children nearer to You. May our character as a mother or parent reveal You so clearly that our children and grandchildren cannot help but please You. Our life is a journey of character development. Thank you for Your grace and patience with us. May we exhibit that to our children, yet remain steadfast in instructing them in Your godly ways. May we exhibit and teach your honesty, gratitude, joy, and peace. May our children receive Your fruits of the Spirit with confidence and character that shines You. May the roots they grow come from time spent with You and a parent who consistently seeks and follows Your will and ways. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Thank you for listening to this podcast. If you would like to hear more about the condition of our heart, the root of all issues, please listen to the Live With Eternal Perspective podcast episode 001, Heart Conditions or episode 046, Maturing Character Like Christ.
If you pray for your child, please look for my free ebook, “Prayers for My Child,” available on the website under the “Resources” page and is designed to guide the heart of your child to the feet of Jesus through scripturally-based prayer.
The Purposed Parent/Connected Child podcast is now available at terrihitt.com, where you can access the episodes housed in one convenient location, receive access to blog posts, read transcripts, and find additional resources designed to mature your walk with Christ and equip you to raiseor influence connected children through Him.
God knows that we are not capable of successful parenting on our own. As we rely on Him, releasing doubts and expectations, and humbly bow to His guidance and experience, we find greater clarity in parenting and a wondrous walk with our Creator that will extend to our children and those around us for generations.
I pray this podcast helps you parent with purposeand deepen your connection to Jesus and your children as you intentionally place Christ above culture or self. Allow Him to work through you for true connection that will draw your children to Him and build a maturing relationship with Christ and your child that lasts for eternity.