“But as for you, speak the things which
are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified,
sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. Older women likewise are to
be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to
much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young
women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible,
pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own
husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” Titus 2:1-3
One of my favorite country songs is
performed by Chris Young, titled Voices. It expresses a young man’s thankfulness to
the sound advice from parents and grandparents, alike. Words that stay in his head, throughout his
life. Some things may be very
simplistic, while others can be a little more in-depth. Whatever the case, they are valuable lessons
that the elder passes down to the younger generation. These MUST be taught, as much as those
lessons MUST be heard.
I can certainly relate to the lyrics
within this song. Often, I find myself
in a situation which I invoke the advice from either my parents, or
grandparents, enabling me to hear them inside me. We all have those moments where we hear our
mom or dad’s voice, telling us what we should or should not do. Those moments make me smile, every time. Not exactly because my parents spoke those
words of wisdom to me but, because I listened and filed those words in my mind,
for future use. It was important that
those words left an imprint on me that my parents could be proud of.
In reading this passage in Titus, I want
to draw attention, not to the advisor but, to the listener. More and more, as I observe society, it seems
that fewer lessons are being handed down from one generation to the next. I could only assume that the older generation
decided to give up, since the younger generation stopped listening. It feels to me that a lot of things shouldn’t
change, as the years go by. It happens
when those sensible lessons of value are lost, ceasing all together.
Like many, I was a hard-headed kid,
refusing to listen at times. You know
how it goes: I’m a teenager so, I know
more than my parents, now. It’s a
common mentality. The problem is, the
parents cease to teach and let the kids run free. No guidance.
Sure, kids want to rebel as they age.
However, deep inside, they want the wisdom of the generations before
them. Some openly seek it. Others may try to avoid it. They want it, nonetheless.
The greatest teachers that ANYONE has to
rely on, haven’t earned education degrees.
They have experienced making good and bad choices, on their own. They had opportunities to listen to their
parent, before them. Wisdom given to
them, passing it down to the next generation.
I will continue to hear the words of my
parents, along with my grandparents. I
could not be thankful enough. Through
those lessons, a part of them lives on within me. God willing, they will live on in my own children.
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