Let Discretion Watch Over You

“For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you” (Proverbs 2:10-11 E.S.V)

According to Bill Cosby, most parents truly love their children and do their best to raise them the way they know how.  The problem is that many do not know how and strive to be friends with their children rather than be parents to them. The end result is children who do whatever they think best, which translates to whatever they get from their peers or the media.  Parents need to be very firm and instill discipline to their children, however they should understand as much as possible the issues they grapple with, so that they can avoid taking an unnecessary and destructive hard stance.

Even in other areas of life, good judgment is not easy to come by. One needs to have more facts so as to act wisely. We assume that we understand some situations that we really don't and go with the popular opinion. Our ideas could be ignorant and outdated. Sometimes we may applaud or condemn others without having an insight as to the complexities of their problems. Where we feel strongly  - even where we think people are living in sin, we should get the facts, so that we can love them even where we do not condone their actions, and be able to help them in their situation whenever possible. Knowledge begets wisdom, and wisdom begets discretion.

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"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance". George Bernard Shaw

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