Lately I’ve been reading the book of Proverbs.  This book contains an incredible amount of wisdom, and since I need all of that I can get I have made it a goal to read one chapter every day.  Unfortunately I don’t reach this goal all the time, but I have made a little progress, and I want to share some interesting ideas from Proverbs chapter 18 with you this month.

Here is Proverbs 18:9 :  “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.”  This verse tells us that it is destructive to neglect our work or not to make a good effort in it.  Proverbs is full of verses about the benefits of hard work, but this verse really shows the destructive consequences of not taking our work seriously.

There are many ways to examine this verse, so let’s look at two of them in the context of parents and children.

First, this shows us the importance of teaching our children the value of hard work.  It isn’t just a secular virtue.  Rather, it is commanded by God.  When we work hard and do our best we are actually mirroring God’s character and bringing glory to Him in the process.

Of course, this is a difficult concept for a child to understand, not just in preschool, but throughout their teen years as well.  At Busy Bees one of our goals is to lay a foundation of excellence in their work.  Our classes are designed to give them a basic concept of academic work, and to make it enjoyable for them.

Teaching kids to be helpful around the home is another element of helping them learn the value of hard work.  In our home we are trying some new things with our kids.  In addition to having them do their chores around the house, we are also reading some of these Proverbs about work to them, and then having them memorize the verses.  Our hope is that they are somehow able to understand that work brings glory to God, and brings blessings to them from Him.

Another way to look at this verse is through the lens of our roles as parents.  Parenting is work.  We might not get paid for it, but anyone who does not recognize it as work hasn’t been one.  This verse tells us that if we are slack in our roles as parents we participate in the destruction of our kids.  Ouch, what a warning!

Looking at it the other way shows the blessings that can come out of the work of diligent parents.  If slack work destroys, then good work builds up.  If we pay close attention to our kids and stay focused on our work as parents, we set our kids up to receive great blessings from the Lord.

I have my list of things I need to do to improve myself as a parent.  What’s on your list?