Before I paid attention to Proverbs and long before anyone told me about wisdom, I was given some valuable life lessons by the words of my parents. Particularly my mother.
My Dad was not verbose and so mastered the model of speaking few words with great wisdom and authority. So it was my mother who talked to us as children more often than my father. There is a marvellous word called ’embedded’. It is where something is put in place to be a part of the fabric of its surroundings. Sometimes so much a part that it’s often taken for granted. Such is the case with some of the wisdom passed on by my mother. As a father, now, some of that wisdom emerges in engagement with my daughters.
Recently I was engaging with one of my daughters who was seeking to get attention in an over-the-top manner. As I conversed with her – for as you know I am all about the conversation – a golden nugget of my mother’s wisdom from over 25 years ago pierced through and I stated to my beloved daughter, “Show off brings disgrace.”
There – it is said. The cycle continues from generation to generation.
I recall the essence of that phrase suggesting that it brings badness upon yourself if you want to grab attention and make it all about yourself. I did have a tendency to seek the attention in such ways and the negative consequences seemed to reinforce the wisdom from my mother. There was of course the wisdom of Proverbs that spoke about the five letter word that abbreviates show-offs well. Namely ‘pride’. Apparently there was a close link between pride, haughtiness and a downfall. So my mother was reiterating what God was saying. Like Hannibal Smith of A-Team fame would comment he loves it when a plan comes together. So all these years later God’s plan to promote humility over pride is embedded to the degree that it is something desperate to live, display and encourage in the coming generation of Drydens.
Thank God for my mother. Thank God for the wisdom. Now let that which is embedded emerge once more in word and deed for the benefit of others.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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