It’s a new year and many people have or will be making resolutions. A few weeks back at my Engage Group we were discussing a profound truth about a well known Proverb.
Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
You’ve likely heard this verse quoted. And maybe you’ve even been on one side or the other of a certain shame that can come from this verse when used in untrained hands.
You know what I’m talking about?
So and so “isn’t walking with the Lord” anymore and so someone’s parents did a poor job training him/her on the “way” outlined above.
Now, what if I told this verse has absolutely nothing to do with “salvation” and/or the “narrow way” Jesus refers to in Matthew 7:13-14? Would you feel a little more grace and a little less condemnation? Take a deep breath. I’m on your side.
This verse is instructing parents to be students of the unique people God is making their children. Maybe God has given your child a unique artistic brain but you’re trying to push them to become an engineer and it just isn’t working. The “way” the Lord who knows the hairs on your child’s head has in mind is uniquely tailored to them. Pray and seek the Lord and push the “mute button” on what others are saying. Encourage them to use the gifts God has given them and not to envy the ones He’s given to others.
You see how this understanding of biblical wisdom is a cure for shame and not a cause of it? Instead of inducing shame in parents who are already under enough pressure to “live up” to unreasonable standards, it gives them the freedom to seek the Lord of the harvest for guidance. He’s not asking you to force your kids into some preset mold. Simply to love and nurture them in the ways He’s already uniquely gifted them. Only He can save their souls and while our efforts are important, this proverb is not a club to beat guilt-induced parents but a cure and invitation to be students of Jesus and the children He has given us.
Now, how does this relate to New Year’s resolutions? What if YOUR Father God isn’t looking for you to chase some fad diet or spiritual pace that others are doing? What if He simply desires you find a custom-fit way to rest more in His grace this year than last?
What would it look like for you to “press the mute button” on the voices of the world around you this year? To not pursue someone else’s will for your life but to live for an audience of One? To live for Jesus, the lover of your soul?
The Good News, is that He’s not looking for you to impress Him. He needs nothing from you, but He delights to hold you close as a friend and sibling. You can be honest, cut the act, and still find He’s right next to you.
I’m rooting for you and that you’d hear Jesus not shaming and guilting you into obedience but inviting you into communion with Him. Maybe there’s a “spiritual discipline” that’s not serving that end for you. Here’s your invitation to set it aside for a season. Find one that’s going to bring you closer to Jesus and pursue it.
It’d be my privilege and a joy to help you if you desired it. That’s what I’m here for. But ultimately, take it up with the Lord Jesus.
His burden is easy, His yoke is light. His mercies are new every morning.
Expectant that you’d experience all of this anew in 2024.
Grace, Love, and Peace
Pastor Sean