Devaluing the word NO!
11 11 2009
A Riddle
I only have two letters, but I contain great value. I can destroy, but if I am used correctly I can bring great joy. I am used by some people all the time, but others do not use me enough. I was the first word some children ever learned. Who am I? I am the word no.
Observations
The word no is valuable! Proverbs 25:28 says, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” The person who has not learned how to tell himself no lacks the protective nature of that word. Consider Matthew 16:24: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.” Here we learn that saying no is a crucial ingredient to following Christ. God considers the word no to be valuable. As parents, have we taught our children the value of this word, or have we subtly de-valued it in their eyes?
How Parents can De-value the Word No
- By allowing a childish, rebellious no to become their entertainment [ie. Laughing at the child’s public no’s of rebellion
- By not having any follow-through to the no’s they give their children. [ie. Not giving consequence to the child’s rebellious no’s]
- By not illustrating good no’s in their own lives.
May God help us to stop finding humor in the rebellious no’s of our children and to follow through with wisdom as we discipline the disobedient no’s; and may He give us grace that we may illustrate wise no’s in our own lives.
Learning,
Pastor Ron
