Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and don’t sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding. The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him. Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice! Proverbs 23:22-25 (WEB)
My parents are with Jesus now.  My two oldest children have children of their own. My youngest son is also with Jesus. I have been meditating on ‘new seasons’ in my life and part of any new season for me comes with the knowledge that I am past the point of middle age (since I doubt that God plans for me to live to be 100!). I am … older. No, I don’t think of myself as old – at least not in the negative sense of being decrepit! But, I am older and so I look at these Scripture a bit differently now than I did when I first read them 10 years ago.
I know now that my father did have words of wisdom based on his years of experience. He had been through difficult family relations and financial hardships and uncertainty. He showed me that perseverance will prevail because all of those times are just temporary. Dad was a wise man that did not come by the wisdom through an educational system but instead he sought wisdom through books and papers he read and through the few people that he trusted and called ‘friend’.
My mother was a very different personality from me. That often brought us into conflict and major mis-communication! Having now lived through motherhood, I find myself much more forgiving for what I perceived as my mothers ‘mistakes’. Did she have them? Oh, yes. But then – I have had many, many more! I pray my children will learn from my mistakes … and make new ones of their own! I can already see that they are a much better parent than I was. They are more balanced. I they see the need for partnership between them and the Lord. I praise God for that!
The ‘truth’ – it is worth any price if it is God’s Truth. His wisdom and discipline and understanding are nuggets of gold. This world offers its truth but it is a ‘quick truth’ – like instant potatoes vs. the real thing! The world’s truth usually involves a quick fix and relies on me or self for answers. I admit that I like a 3-step plan for any problem and I would like it to all come together in 3 days! Real truth involves more effort, more time, and less of me! It means laying me down and listening to that Holy Spirit voice speak the truth that lines up with all of God’s truths.
I do rejoice over all of my children. I have children of my heart and children of my blood and heart. All of them know they are children of God. Are they perfect? Not likely! But they are held in the hand of a gracious God who is quick to forgive and swift to lead in the path to a ‘right relationship’ (righteousness) with Him.
My sons and daughters, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad, even mine: yes, my heart will rejoice, when your lips speak what is right. Proverbs 23:15-16 (emphasis mine)
What more could this ‘older’ mother pray?!!
