When your children are little, mom can solve most of their problems. Now that my son is an adult, he has to take care of problems himself. I sometimes think I am too sensitive, because when my son texts me and tells me about a problem he is having, I just want to cry and wish I could take care of it for him .
Matthew was having a problem with one of his bosses at work accusing him of not doing a job, which someone else had already done and that Matthew was told earlier was not his worry. It bothered Matthew enough that he texted me to tell me about it. But I am currently over 1,400 miles away. I can only give advice in his preferred method of communication, texting. As I told him my thoughts (in short text bursts), I realized that texting your teenage adult son is really not that bad after all. Patterns of behavior that can cause annoyance, such as huffing on his part, or talking and talking on my part, are gone.
A verse that I had my son memorize many years ago when I thought he was arguing too much with me comes from Proverbs. 19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Proverbs 10:19
After I made him memorize this, it hit me that this was a verse that I also needed to take to heart. So I made myself memorize it as well. Last night, as I am texting my son I realized I am following this biblical advice using a form I would never have considered: texting. In a text, brevity is key. I tend to be very wordy and talk and talk and talk until I am blue in the face and my son has tuned me out. With texting, I had to choose my words carefully. Let’s face it, I am not a teenager, I spell all my words out correctly and in complete sentences. This habit is not conducive to a long texting conversation. In this instance, I gave my advice, told him I loved him and it was over.
It is amazing how God’s Word is timeless and transcends all things, even technology. I am glad I memorized the Proverbs verse years ago. I never would have guessed I would be following its advice one day through my phone and a few text messages.
4 comments:
A perfect example of how we hide His word in our heart.
I think that is a good one for me to hide away.
We've been memorizing some Proverbs here, too, and they are just as needed by me as they are by my children!
That is a wonderful illustration. As I memorize Scripture with my children, I pray for them to recall and follow God's Word throughout their lives.
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