What if I had listened?
Perhaps one of the most critical skills missing from today's youth is "listening." The dictionary defines the word (listen) to mean 1. To give attention with the ear. 2. To pay attention, heed, or obey. Have your parents ever had to ask you, " are you listening to what I am saying to you", and you sort of rolled your eyes around moaned, growled or just made sure your body language spoke loud and clear. We hear our parents talking, but do we really listen? Keep in mind that to listen also means to obey. Obedience to what your parents are asking of you proved that you were in fact listening. Most youth think parents just don't understand, and they are over-protective and out of touch with reality. The truth of the matter is this, every adult was a child. However, we cannot say that every child will become an adult. Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. The key word is obey which means to listen.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Ephesians 6:1
Imagine this with me:
A twenty year old male sits in prison thinking to himself, "What if I had listened? " Would I even be in this place having to live like an animal in a cage? What would I be doing if I had my freedom? What will I do when I get out of here? And finally "What have I done?"
A Sixteen year old girl wakes up to the screams of a newborn baby in her dreams. She thinks to herself with sleep in our eyes. "What if I had listen?" I wish I could send this child back to heaven and start over again. She now has the responsibility of a life for which she is not able to provide. There are choices to be made that will affect the rest of her life. Will she give birth or abort? No matter the choice, her life is forever changed. What if I Had Listen?
So, do parents want to hinder your fun or make your life difficult or do they just want you to be around long enough to become responsible adult? Take a moment to think about how blessed you are that someone considers you so special that they get in your business even when you don't invite them. The worst scenario is that your life is cut short and you leave the earth before your time. The Bible declares that a disobedient child will not live out his days on earth. God said this and not your parents. They are under His orders to carry out Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child In the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. They are asking you to listen and obey because that that is part of the training. Enjoy your youth by honoring your parents and authority figures in your life. This will certainly guarantee you will not have to say, "What if I Had Listened?" God will bless your obedience.