Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3
I'm writing this to parents
everywhere.
Old parents, new parents,
first time parents of babies, parents of teens and even parents of adults.
Parents, PLEASE, PLEASE,
don't train your child with a shout.
Consider the value of a
whisper.... or a soft spoken word.
You see. When you shout, you
teach your child to tune out the soft spoken word.... to ignore the
whisper... You teach them to be
inattentive to your every day voice, and you don't gain their attention until
you shout.
This is sad. But, even worse,
it's dangerous!
It's puts your child in harms
way physically and spiritually.
A child who will not obey
until you shout at him, does not come when called and will step into a
dangerous situation unless you are there to protect him. He doesn't obey,
because he really doesn't hear you when you are not shouting. He has learned
not to listen.
It is important that children
learn to listen. It is important that they learn to pay attention and take in
valuable instruction. YOU can teach them that - by training them with a soft
voice... and an occasional whisper. Doing so will be of great benefit for your
child spiritually. That's why it's so, so important.
You see..... God often speaks
to us in a still small voice within our heart. It is most often soft and
gentle. God does not usually shout at us. He softly calls to us, by speaking to
our hearts. A child who cannot hear a whisper could miss this call. For that
reason, a child trained with a soft voice will most likely be more receptive. He
knows how to listen, while the child who is trained with a shout has learned to
ignore.
Isaiah 55:3 tells us "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul
shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David."
We
live in a world where many people do not hear or recognize God's voice. In our
noisy world, we have pushed aside that still small voice. We have not inclined
our ear and heard what the
Lord is telling us. And if we don't do so, we shall not live. We shall not
receive an everlasting covenant or the mercies of David.
Do
you see how important it is to listen? Please, teach your child to LISTEN to a
soft voice and to incline their ear to a whisper. Just TRY IT! A whisper is
often used as an intimate way of communicating within a close relationship. Get
close to you child. Talk softly. Be the parent God wants you to be.
And
if you don't know what it is that God wants from you, open your Bible and your
heart. READ and LISTEN. The book of John is a good place to start.
You
don't have to rely on a church or a preacher or an elder or a priest. God
Himself through His Holy Spirit will teach you if you will simply get into His
word and prayerfully read it and listen!
I
will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide
thee with mine eye. Psalms 32:8
