“A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.” Proverbs 17:25
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“I’m running errands. Be back in a few hours.” Carol quipped while grabbing her coat.
“Wait a sec.” Lenny dug into his pocket pulling out a wrinkled scrap of paper. Copiously tucking the note into his mother’s open purse, Len plopped right back into his recliner; barely missing half a commercial.
Carol felt her lower jaw jerk; she stifled herself from speaking. The peace and quiet of her home almost seemed to hush her.
Why bother? Sighing to herself, she retrieved Lenny’s list; mentally crossing off a few items of her own.
Carol loved her son more than anything. For years, friends and family warned that she coddled him far too much.
“But…Lenny’s my one and only child.” That charming justification seemed to lose it’s appeal with each encroaching year. Her little Lenny would be turning 31 in a month.
After mortgaging the family home to make payments for Len’s college, Carol soon realized that finding and keeping a job also took a healthy balance of work ethic. Education was simply a nice starting point.
Heading out the door, the brisk air hit her face. This jolted Carol’s thoughts into the harsh reality that her mistakes weren’t going to simply fix themselves.
Carol’s trusty old Dodge Charger had trouble starting, she felt compassion for the vehicle. Somehow she related to the concept of being overused and overlooked. In all her strength, while this busy mother was taking care of everyone and everything else, Carol had lost sight of herself.
The harsh reality of Proverbs 17:25 isn’t the most encouraging verse. But, we must keep in mind that hope is never completely lost for those who choose to put their trust in God.
God will teach you how to have a healthy balance, if you are willing to listen, learn and obey.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I have made a mess out of my life. I have made decisions out of convenience instead of seeking your will or your wisdom.
This has created layers and layers of bad choices and habits not only for me but also for every family member entrusted to me.
Lord, you are not an enabling Lord. You do not reward laziness or disobedience. To do this would go against your nature of justice and righteousness.
To stand for righteousness means I should have taken the harder route instead of the way that made things easier for me in the moment.
I have put many things before you. This has made my priorities off-balance.
I see now that taking the easy way to begin with has made the path for our family harder as the years go on.
I’m having a hard time seeing how you can fix the mess I have made.
But, you said in your word if we repent of our sins, turn from them and seek your face you would heal.
Lord, my family needs healing. Bless us as we venture out and start traveling down the hard road. I have turned back from this path many times in the past.
Today is a new beginning. I commit to digging in my heels even when the going gets rough. Hold my hand. I’m expecting that you will give me the peace that passes all understanding and the wisdom that I have ignored in the past.
In Jesus’ name, deal with each member of my family on an individual basis as we are all responsible for our own choices.
Lord, people keep telling me that it’s too late to change; but I know that with you, anything is possible. Let’s show the world what you can do. Use my life as a living testimony to just how great a God you really are. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Proverbs 17:25
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan