Sometimes the Nut Falls Far from the Tree

(Proverbs 17:21 KJV)  He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

Some things in life we seem to have no control over.  The basic disposition of our children is one of those experiences we can’t plan.  My children were different from the day they were born.  In training them up we have instilled certain characteristics.  Recently they were sharing how people who did not know they were siblings could not figure out how they were so alike.  People thought they were married and had grown like each other.  When they discovered the connection was blood the response was, “Oh, that explains it.”  Actually, the best explanation is parenting, not blood.

Can someone be responsible for what he “begetteth” (begets NASB) (3205)?  In one sense, no.  It is possible that no matter what we do, our children will be fools.  They have personalities.  They make decisions.  They can produce “sorrow” (8424).  In many cases it is not the fault of the parents.  We have all seen people who have several children and one goes a totally different path than the others.

So?  Don’t let guilt overwhelm you when life hands you sorrow.  This is the place where we continue to walk in faith.  Prayer, modeling and fortitude can lead to change.  We may not live to see it in our children but we can continue to let our faith overwhelm our sorrow.  I know, easy to say and hard to do.