In Proverbs 4:4 a father implores with his son to take hold of wisdom. The past three chapters assert that both parents have been providing a banquet of wisdom and highlight the advantages and dangers of living as a fool. What we don't see is these wise parents attempting a parenting technique or discipline strategy to force that wisdom into the son. They don't try, because it won't work. He implores the child to seize hold of the wisdom, to make it his own. I have toddlers. This resonates with me. It's also freeing. The patient, wise, "example parent" of Proverbs is resting in God's promises for his children, and patiently repeating and providing instruction in the hope of it taking hold. Even better, it's a generational story. At this moment the father in this story is recounting his own story, reminding his son that he too was once young man needing instructed. There's humility there. I could use that attitude today.
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