Our Hearts Are Glad

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right . . . Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline, and understanding. The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!  Proverbs 23: 15, 23 – 25

Is there anything we desire more for our own sons and daughters and those other young men and women we care about than to know they have hearts that are wise – wise in the sense that they know God and are walking in His truths?

This verse is an appropriate one for today because it gives me the opportunity to wish my son, Scott, a Happy Birthday, and tell him how proud and grateful I am for the young man he is. But it is also a good reminder to all of us that we have a responsibility to encourage those young people around us to be who God would have them be.

Just as many of the Proverbs were, this one was written by wise Solomon either to his own son, or to one of the young men who were coming to him for godly instruction. He felt it was his duty to instruct them in the ways of God.

We, like him, want the best life possible for our own children and for those young adults we care about. We, too, know that in order for them to have a good life, we may need to encourage them to seek God, to become wise in the knowledge of His Word, and to apply His truths to their lives.

Notice the instruction Solomon gives – “be wise, speak what is right, honor the truth, get wisdom, discipline, and understanding, and be a righteous man.” 

Could he have given any better counsel?  He writes that he or any parent would respond to a son who has these qualities “with a glad, rejoicing heart”.

As a parent, I understand his joy in knowing the young man he is speaking to belongs to God. As Christians we care deeply about the hearts and souls of the young people around us, and it brings great comfort and delight to know that they have a loving heart for God.

Happy Birthday, Scott! What a blessing you have always been to us. We are so proud of the young man and husband you are! We are so proud of the life you live and for always remembering to give God an important place in your heart. You are indeed “wise” as you live by His truths found in His Word. You make the hearts of this “father and mother glad” as you honor Him, and I can assure you, that this mother will always “rejoice” and be so grateful that you are my beloved son!

Prayer

Dear God, I thank you for the gift of a loving son and for all the young people in our lives who are so special to us. We pray that they will grow in wisdom, knowledge, and faith and share your love with others. Amen