Don’t Stop Listening to Instruction (Proverbs 19:27)
September 1, 2020
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Never stop listening to instruction.
There comes a time in life when you’ve learned a few tough lessons and it’s easy to get comfortable with where you are. According to the first seven verses, the book of Proverbs is about gaining God’s wisdom for life. Nineteen chapters into the book Solomon again reminds his son to seek wisdom and never stop listening to instruction or stray from knowledge. That’s what fools do. Let’s be reminded today that our need for God’s wisdom never stops. Seek it. Find it. And live by it.
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Have you ever felt like you married the wrong person? Well, I say, you did.
When people tell me they married the wrong person, I say we all married the wrong person. You really didn’t know what you needed when you chose who you chose. Now, assuming you want to become who you need to become to love who you chose, by God’s grace, you’ll discover you married the right person. They were the wrong person for who you were, but the right person for who you are becoming in Christ. You picked better than you knew—someone who could love someone like you.
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You know what a hybrid is, right? It’s when two things are combined.
When Mathew spoke at his stepmother’s funeral he said, “While we have no common blood and no matching physical characteristics, we have been grafted together by God as mother and son. I think sociologists would define us as a blended family. I prefer to think of us as a hybrid family, grafted together by God.” When you graft two plants together it’s a cool science experiment. When you graft two families together, the cutting and grafting can be painful, but the end result is life-giving.
August 28, 2020
I see you judging me because my family isn’t “normal” but just like you, I didn’t choose my family.
Kaleigh, a teenager, posted online about the pros and cons of growing up in a blended family. The cons, according to her; watching one parent be saddened by the other, packing up her belongings and switching houses every week, losing some of her parent’s attention to new family members. The pros; having two homes support her and having a variety of siblings and relationships that brings new love into her life. Stepfamilies, like all families, have pros and cons that need God’s love and guidance.
August 27, 2020
Yes, stepfamilies are different than biological families, but God’s principles still apply.
Every family and every season of family life has its unique challenges; blended families are no different. What’s the same, though, is that God’s principles for holy living still apply for everyone. In a biological family stress tends to move people toward one another when things get hard. But in a new stepfamily, stress tends to push insiders and outsiders apart. Thankfully God’s instruction that we cast our cares on him and manage conflict with kindness and love still works in ether situation.
August 26, 2020
I mean, come on. What’s so special about faith, hope, and love?
Philosophers like Aristotle have touted a list of virtues they say promote human flourishing. But what they really promote is the self. Faith, hope, and love make you look away from yourself toward God and others. With God’s virtues you become less self-centered, not more. So, in your home is your faith in yourself? Do you demand love and attention from others? If so, turn up and out. Put your faith and hope in God and love Him and your family with your whole heart. This is how we flourish.
August 25, 2020
Hey, if your kids and I can’t naturally get along then maybe we shouldn’t have gotten together in the first place. It shouldn’t have to be this much work.
Clearly this stepfather has tried to connect with his stepchildren, but the door is closed. Actually what’s “natural” for new blended family relationships is for them to be awkward and strained from time to time. It should take some intentional effort to forge through that. This stepdad’s expectation for quick family harmony has set him up for frustration and a critical attitude. Family stress is not an indication that you shouldn’t have married. It’s natural. Connect where you can and persevere.
August 24, 2020
Really? Jesus learned obedience?
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August 21, 2020
Yes, Ron, this marriage and family are much better than my first and I feel guilty about it.
It sounds odd but that’s what some divorced and remarried people feel. The church doesn’t help when we’re condescending. The message is, “You had a failed marriage so you’re a failure and you don’t deserve to be happy.” What? I thought there was no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I think we’re all relying on that one. Yes, sin is dark and has consequences in this life. But that doesn’t mean a repentant heart can’t rest in the warmth of God’s mercy and grace. Shame free.
August 20, 2020
Help me. My family is falling apart.
Kathy's 20-year-old and 16-year-old daughters didn’t get along with their stepfather and their dad didn’t have any relationship with them. “It’s just a mess,” she said. “But I still have faith God will work this out.” Kathy, I’m sorry things are difficult right now. There’s no easy fix so I’m not going to belittle your circumstances with simplistic advice. Keep investing in your marriage because it's the foundation that allows you to rebuild your home. And, keep praying and don’t give up.
August 19, 2020
Wise stepparents honor their stepchildren’s past.
When Victoria married a widower with four kids she applied this advice and it paid off. When they moved her furniture into his house she noticed how “uprooted” the kids felt, so she made changes cautiously. First, the kitchen but their mother’s items were distributed or saved for each child. Then she waited five years to re-do the living room. And now, after seven years, for Christmas she gifted each child with a photo of their family of origin and the current stepfamily. Now, that’s wisdom.
August 18, 2020
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