I love my family :)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my son to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." - Proverbs 1:7-9

Observation: To have knowledge, we must first have reverence for the Lord. Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and they simply refuse to learn. The verses tell us to pay attention to what our parents tell us and if we listen to them, it would improve our character as a "handsome turban or a necklace improving our appearance."

Meditation/Interpretation: Proverbs was a book written by King Solomon, it's a collection of wise sayings that were used in ancient Israel to teach God's people how to live right. One of the main teachings of Proverbs is that all wisdom is a gift from God and this wisdom supplies practical advice for everyday living. This scripture is to make inexperienced people clever and teach young people how to be resourceful. The first chapter of the book starts with advice to the young.

As Solomon talks about the young, he says that fools are people who do not have true wisdom and who follow their own ways just because they want to. When parents talk to us, they must not only tell us what to do but tell us why we must do it and because of this, we must value them and honor them.

Reflection: Ever since summer started, especially because I just graduated from college, I've been having more free time because I have no need to study and take finals. Because of this, I've decided to move back home to Long Island to be more available for my parents and spend more time with them to honor them because over the past couple of years, I haven't given them any time. I've seen how hard they have been working and I also see how they try really hard not to burden me because I was studying and I was in school. Now that I have graduated, I have more time to give back to them which I have been doing. This week, I've spent a lot of time doing little chores for them such as making phone calls for them because their English is not so good as well as mowing the lawn, cleaning up here and there around the house and etc. On top of that, I really learn to appreciate and love my parents so much more because I'm spending so much more time with them. Just today as we were eating lunch, we were having so much fun laughing and just enjoying each others company. It made my parents so happy my dad even got up and started playing the piano and then my mom played after him. They were just really happy and I wish to see that all the time. I believe that this really is a time where God is calling me to honor them and be available for them while I can. And even so, my parents are still honoring me and my siblings by giving us the freedom to do some of the things we want also.

Application: As an application, I'm going to continue to make an effort to spend more time at home. Truthfully, for those who have been calling out, I've been choosing not to come out because I really want to spend this time to honor my family and help them with their needs instead of always caring about my own needs.

Truth & Love

"How happy I was to find that some of your children live in the truth, just as the Father commanded us." -- 2 John 1:4

"Nothing makes me happier than to hear my children live in the truth." -- 3 John 1:4

 "We Christians, then, must help these people, so that we may share in their work for the truth."
 -- 3 John 1:8

 "My dear friend, do not imitate what is bad, but imitate what is good. Whoever does good belongs to God; whoever does what is bad has not seen God." -- 3 John 1:11

As I've been spending a little more time with my parents lately, I've been hearing what they really get encouraged by. My parents really become joyful when they find their children living in truth. An example is my brother. For some reason, he's just simply disciplined, obedient, and shares truth and love to every single person he knows. It's so inspiring to see as an older sister and it's also pleasing in my parents eyes. Thank God for blessing Johnson to imitate the good characteristics from my parents and not the bad.

Over the past week -- I've seen my brother...

• Do something as little as filling up the gas tank for my parents without wanting acknowledgement.
• Sleep at the prayer center without a shower place to be efficient in his daily duties
• Carry books around with him all the time as he is always studious and wanting to learn more
• Strive to make his summer productive and useful so that he can find what he truly likes to do as a profession during his college career
• Begin a small bible study group with the college kids in his church to start a college ministry
• Etc etc etc etc.

Now for me, how have I been striving to live in truth and help people in their work for truth?