EVEN A CHILD

“EVEN A CHILD IS KNOWN BY HIS DOINGS, WHETHER HIS WORK BE PURE, AND WHETHER IT BE RIGHT.”PROVERBS 20:11

There is behavior that is acceptable even for the youngest of children. There is also behavior that is never acceptable; regardless of age, the same can be said for adults; there is behavior that is commendable and there is behavior that is considered abhorrent at any age.

You and I are known by our deeds. Solomon warns us that are children are equally known by their deeds. What we permit today becomes their reputation tomorrow.
It is apparent to me that children will only attain the level of proper behavior as is required of them. In this regard they are no different than we adults. We will not be any more disciplined in our lives than is required of us, either by we, ourselves or by those around us.

An undisciplined life produces varying degrees of failure; “IF YOU LOVE SLEEP, YOU WILL END IN POVERTY. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN, AND THERE WILL BE PLENTY TO EAT!” PROVERBS 20:13

“A LITTLE SLEEP, A LITTLE SLUMBER, A LITTLE FOLDING OF THE HANDS TO REST, YOUR POVERTY WILL COME IN LIKE A VAGABOUND AND YOUR NEED LIKE AN ARMED MAN.” PROVERBS 6:10

Likewise; PROVERBS 24:33 “A LITTLE SLEEP, A LITTLE SLUMBER, A LITTLE FOLDING OF THE HANDS TO REST, YOUR POVERTY WILL COME AS A ROBBER AND YOUR WANT LIKER AN ARMED MAN.”

Undisciplined children become undisciplined adults who produce even more undisciplined children; it takes only one generation of hard working adults to inspire the next generation the value of a disciplined life, likewise it takes only one generation of laziness for the next generation to believe that laziness is the normal expectancy of life.

There is a law in parenting; what is compromised in this generation becomes accepted in the next generation and becomes the norm in the following generation; we only need look at the failure of Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” in America to see how quickly the poverty mentality took hold and the welfare state became the norm for mass groups of people for multiple generations. 40 years later what was once considered unthinkable is considered the rights of many. My grandfather’s generation was reluctant to accept charity; in our generation many, if not most, consider it their birthright.How are we known? How are our children known? What legacy are we leaving to this world? Think about it. Amen!