Agents
of Prophecy
Fathers, do not embitter your children,
or they will become discouraged.
Colossians 3:21
Dell was one of the smartest kids in
school. He was also one of the most under-achieving freshmen Mr.
Holman ever taught. Finding ways to engage the young man had proven a
challenge.
Mr. Holman talked to Dell’s other
teachers and some of his friends, intending to discover why someone
so bright seemed to care so little about his future. What he
discovered was disturbing. Dell’s father was a bully. Although he
never touched Dell physically, he broke his spirit mentally and
emotionally, spewing venomous curses at him, “You’re so stupid!
You can’t even tell the difference between a spark plug and a fuel
injector! What the hell is wrong with you?! You’ll never be a
mechanic! You’re worthless!”
Knowing otherwise, Mr. Holman
determined to show Dell who he really was. Over time, he was able to
penetrate Dell’s protective barriers. Once inside, he spoke words
of truth; words to edify and nurture; words of encouragement and
support. By his senior year, Dell’s poor self-image had been
replaced by one of hope-filled anticipation. His grades mirrored his
intellect, and he began setting goals for the future.
†
Day in and day out the man who should
have been encouraging Dell was beating him down. Dell, instead of
looking toward a successful future in a career he could find pleasure
and happiness in, aspired only to only survive and escape his
father’s harsh treatment.
We are agents of prophecy. Our children
hear everything we say. Not only do our words speak loud and clear,
our body language and voice inflection have much to say as well. Make
no mistake…children will become who we tell them they are.
Fathers, don’t make the mistake of
telling your daughter, “Go change your clothes, you look like a
whore!” or she just might turn to the streets for a father’s
love.
Our kids go from stroller to SUV in
less time than it takes to blink. We have only a small window of
influence. We should look for every opportunity to invest wisely.
Sometime today, tell your children how
smart they are, and how blessed you are to have them.
Prayer
“Holy Spirit, give me
words of encouragement to speak over my children; help me build their
self-esteem. And hold my tongue in times of frustration to keep me
from discouraging them. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment