From the mouth of babes.

Have you ever heard that saying? It’s a common southern phrase meaning children can speak words of wisdom, despite their age. The phrase itself is derived from the Bible. Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 21:16, commenting on the children who knew how great the Savior was when the adults raising them struggled to accept Him.

I heard my own daughter speak wisdom recently, and I want to share the encounter with you.Now, before continuing on with this post, I must share that although my daughter often makes me proud, this parenting business has been no easy task. My husband and I have spent many nights on our knees praying for her (and us!). Thankfully, we are making good progress (with God’s help), as we raise her.

A few months ago I picked her up from school, like I do every afternoon. We went to her favorite restaurant for some girl time. My beautiful and strong-willed child had exhibited good behavior at school that week, so I let her choose where we would eat as a reward. While we were chowing down on the buffet, our conversation took an interesting turn.

My Daughter:God spoke to my heart today. He told me to tell my friend sorry for not playing with her.

Me:That’s great!

After a few seconds…

Me:Did God say anything to your heart about cleaning your room?

My Daughter:Nope. I never heard that.  

I could do nothing less but chuckle, and we went on with our outing. But the more I thought about this humorous conversation, the more lessons it taught me. From the mouth of my babe, is wisdom we could learn from.

Stop Looking for More in the Blessing (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

To begin, I should have just celebrated my daughters spiritual growth and stopped there. She told her friend sorry because the Holy Spirit was telling her that was the right thing to do. How great that she is hearing the Spirit! How great that she is following the Spirit’s guidance!

But instead, I grasped for more. I then asked about her room that needed some cleaning.

I missed fully rejoicing in the blessing because of my own selfish wants. I wanted her room clean. A clean room means I can actually tuck her in bed without tripping. A clean room means she can find her shoes quicker. A clean room makes me look like a better mom.

But a clean room means nothing when compared to my little girl being molded into a godly woman by the Spirit.

Though it ended humorously, my daughter heard me place more emphasis and importance on a clean room than obeying the Holy Spirit. In the future, I hope to not make that parenting mistake again.

Strengthen Godly Relationships (Ephesians 4:3)

For children to obey their parents and pick up their rooms is important. A clean room teaches responsibility and good work ethic, but what my daughter spoke about her room was the truth.

God certainly did not tell her to clean her room. Why would He?  Strengthening godly relationship with those around her is so much more important!

My daughter sought forgiveness from another. This gesture took humility on her part. Humility for my sweet toddler does not come easily. In fact, as an adult, asking forgiveness from others does not always come easy for me either!

Keeping her room clean would be nice, but showing His light to others is imperative. I would benefit to follow her lead on this. Instead of always being focused on laundry and dishes, perhaps I should strive to invest more time in staying humble, asking for forgiveness, and strengthening godly relationships with those around me.

Obey His Voice (John 15:14)

Not only did my daughter hear God’s voice, but she obeyed it. Jesus gave us the free gift of the Holy Spirit. This Helper whispers guidance and advice, such as to ask for forgiveness from a friend. That’s what the Spirit told my child, and she listened.

But, how often might God speak to our hearts, and we turn away?

Can we think of a time, when we were encouraged by the Holy Spirit to act or speak a certain way, but we ignored His voice? Eve, Gomer, and the wife of Lot all ignored God, facing consequences as a result. And so have I.

There have been times when writing and moving forward in this ministry were what God was telling me to do, but I instead became stagnant and focused on worldly things. I ignored the calling and pursued the temporary. The result was unfulfillment and missed opportunities.  

Straight From the Mouth of Babes:

And so from the mouth of babes, or in this instance my own babe, let’s listen to the wisdom of a little girl.

Let’s strive to stop looking for more in the blessing.

Let’s strive to strengthen godly relationships.

And…

Let’s strive to obey His voice.