As I was reading through my daily Bible reading the other day this verse literally jumped off the page and into my heart and mind,
“…for his mother was his counselor to do wicked.” (2 Chronicles 22:3) It really made me stop and think.
My first thought was “How in the world could any mother counsel her child to do wicked, that is horrible!” Then it was as if the Lord spoke to me in His quiet, still voice, and said, “You can counsel in ways other than just your words.” And it hit me… we counsel our children everyday in how we act, in the example that we live before them, in the way we live.
I began to take inventory of how I counsel my children each day, and I was not necessarily pleased with all the things the Lord brought to my mind. I began to ask myself the following questions:
How do I counsel my children through the way I…
- Treat their daddy
- Treat them
- Talk to them and others
- Respond to their neediness
- Discipline
- Shepherd, teach, and train them
- Treat our neighbors, especially the ones who aren’t nice to us
- Spend my time
And I realized that at times I am counseling my children, not with my words but with my actions, …
- To be selfish with their time
- To place their own priorities and interests above those of others
- That if we are upset it is ok to respond in a frustrated and irritated way rather than a gentle and loving way
- That we do not have to be nice when others aren’t nice
This realization that I counsel my children through basically everything they see me do and say has led me to realize that I need to be constantly and consistently holding my heart, motives, and thoughts before the Lord, allowing Him to examine them and show me anything that needs to be changed and brought into alignment with Him, His ways, and His Word. I desire to counsel my children to do good, not evil; to live life the way the Lord instructs us in His Word. To do that I need to be willing to lay my heart open before Him and allow Him to change me and mold me into the wife and mommy He has created me to be.
I want my counsel to be like the counsel spoken of in Proverbs 6:20-23:
“My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life,”
I desire for my counsel to be a guide to them, to watch over them, to speak to them. I want my counsel to be a light for them, pointing them to Jesus, who alone can lead them in the paths of righteousness. As it is stated in 1 Kings 10:15-16, I want them to “come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
So what about you? Are there things that you are counseling your children to do through your actions that you would never counsel them to do with your words?
Are you willing to take the time to lay your heart open before the Lord, allowing Him to show you what needs to be changed and molded in your heart and life to enable you to more effectively counsel your children in the ways of the Lord?
Father God, please forgive me for the ways I have counseled my children through my actions and behaviors to live in a way that is contrary to your Word. Please work in my heart, reveal those behaviors in me that need to be removed, and replace them with the Godly behaviors that need to be there. Please help me to always give Godly counsel to my children, through my words and my actions, and to lead them down paths of righteousness rather than unrighteousness. Thank you for your precious Holy Spirit, who lives in me and can work in me daily to make me be the wife and mom you have created me to be. In Jesus’ precious and holy name, Amen.
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