Daily devotional, May 13, 2024 Voices
"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." Proverbs 31:26
I was reverse parking my car the other day, and after I did it perfectly in one try I heard my dad’s voice in my head, praising me for doing it in one go. He taught me how to do it when I was 18, and many, many years later his praise still made me smile. And then I realised that every time I reverse parked my car correctly I hear that happy voice of his.
Indeed, the often quoted phrase of parenting book author Peggy O’Mara “the way you talk to your children becomes their inner voice,” was true based on my experience.
As a parent, I also want my kids to remember my happy mom voice long after I have passed on. I want them to hear the good that I point out in them, and less about my cranky or critical lines that could affect their confidence levels.
Like me, I want them to have good memories of their growing up years, and possess a positive inner voice that will motivate them to live a godly life. And so to achieve that, I keep turning to the best mothering guide available — the Bible.
In his first epistle, St. Peter the Apostle gave guidance to early Christian women about how to conduct themselves. He said, they have to be submissive to their husbands and at the same time be respectful.
As parents, we need to remember that our children do not only have rights, they also have feelings that we need to respect. When we respect their feelings, we will be less prone to speak the truth in anger, even when they are not being in their best behavior. We will learn to correct them without crushing their confidence and their spirit.
"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct." 1 Peter 3:1-2
That same chapter of the Apostle Peter’s epistle also guides us mothers on how to conduct ourselves towards our family and other people. It reminds us not to concern ourselves too much about the superficial, instead we ought to focus on possessing a character trait that will make our children remember our kindness.
"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
1 Peter 3:3-4
In this age of social media, when we can highlight our mothering prowess online, we have to keep in mind the reminder from the above verse. We should tell ourselves that our attitude towards our children when there are no cameras rolling, or people seeing, is more important than what we portray on our digital posts.
Moreover, the key parenting phrase in the passage is “gentle and quiet spirit.” As a mom of three, I know I will not be alone in saying that this can be challenging to carry out consistently when we are very exhausted and the kids are acting up. But if we take on our Lord’s invitation to partner with Him in bringing up our children, we can tap on His strength to power us through the tiring and trying times of parenting:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Time and again, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls us to be humble and meek. To keep our strength under control. As moms, one of the practical applications of this is that even if we could have the loudest voice in the house, we will choose to use that gentle, indoor voice even if the children are being a handful.
"She opens her mouth with wisdom,and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." Proverbs 31:26
In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul the Apostle encourages us to correct others gently. Such gentleness, we should apply not just to those we meet outside our homes, but more so to our kids whom our Heavenly Father has entrusted to our care:
"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believeris overcome by some sin, you who are godlyshould gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself." Galatians 6:1
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 1 Peter 3:1-6 and Proverbs 31:24-31 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: What does your inner voice say about how your parents raised you?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, help me become the parent that you want me to be. Help me to be gentle with my words and actions at all times towards my children. Empower me to discipline them appropriately, and raise them well so that they could look back to a happy childhood, and live a godly life.
