Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PROVERBS 1:8-19

My child, listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
What you learn from them will crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck.

My child, if sinners entice you,
turn your back on them!
They may say, “Come and join us.
Let’s hide and kill someone!
Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent!
Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave;

My child, don’t go along with them!
Stay far away from their paths.
They rush to commit evil deeds.
They hurry to commit murder.
But these people set an ambush for themselves;
they are trying to get themselves killed.
Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;
it robs them of life.

Mining my parents veins this Christmas

There is wisdom in years. Knowledge can be gained at any age and, depending on one’s mental capacity, rather quickly. Wisdom, I’m discovering first hand, demands a breadth of experience that accumulates slowly. Only then, sometime reluctantly and always at the point of critical mass, will she begin to reveal her insights.

So parents have the advantage over children; the previous generation over the present. Even as parents age and care-giving roles reverse, there is wisdom tucked away in their lives. Many things mask that wisdom, often tricking we children into overlooking or never looking for it. Dysfunctional relationships, clashing value systems, physical dependence, and a variety of sicknesses like Alzheimer’s all conspire to lock up the wisdom of parents like veins of gold buried deep in rock. But it’s there.

Knocking on the doorway to the 50s decade and with parents pushing and passing 70, I’m rediscovering Solomon’s admonition to listen to parents and mine for gems buried in their lives. Through the years I’ve picked up the obvious nuggets of wisdom. But I think there are veins still untapped that would make my life fuller with there discovery.

Ancient of Days, I know you are full of wisdom, but that’s a subject for another prayer. Today I desire a deeper respect for my aging parents. Grant me the ability to ask the kinds of questions and practice the kind of observation during the coming family Christmas visits that will allow me to return home with new wisdom – wisdom that ultimately comes from and honors you. - Mike Leamon