PLEASE DON'T SHOUT

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