Burn the Candle (II)

Bible Reading: Genesis 39

Today’s word is for parents. Many parents need to stop shielding their children from opportunities that will build the capacity of their children, even if those opportunities require hard work. This generation has to obtain grace to suffer when necessary, forebear and endure difficult times because everything cannot come rosy. When I was growing up, my parents would constantly repeat that “hard work does not kill”. Truth be told, we worked very hard. In fact, when they see an opportunity for us to grow, they encourage us to take them. “Be a wise risk taker,” my father would say. Some parents have shielded their children from capacity-building opportunities because they don’t want their children to “suffer”. I understand you love your children, but love also means letting go so that they can grow into what God wants them to grow into. For instance, let them learn how to save and manage resources. Let them make decisions rather than you deciding for them all the time. Allow your children to learn from their experiences and guide them prayerfully. In today’s Bible reading, Joseph engaged the discipline he had learned prior to prison. For instance, how would he refuse an offer from Potiphar’s wife if not for the power of God and the self-discipline he had built? Dear parents, if you do not allow your children to bear the yoke of good discipline now, it will be more costly when they want to learn it as adults. Let them grow. Encourage them to pay the price for growth and, in the process, build capacity.