October 28
Hearing Wisdom
Too Late
"A wise child pays attention to what their parents teach them. But anyone who makes fun of others doesn’t listen to warning."
Proverbs 13:1 (NIrV)
Tina didn’t listen.
If her parents told her to do something, she did the opposite. “Dinner’s ready,” her mom would call. “I’ll eat later,” Tina would say, scrolling on her phone. “Be back by ten,” her dad warned as she left the house. She’d stroll in at midnight, acting like it was no big deal. School? Not worth getting out of bed for.
Rules felt like chains, and Tina wanted freedom. Her parents didn’t understand her, anyway. They just wanted to control her life. She wasn’t going to let them.
At 18, she found out she was pregnant.
The bathroom floor was cold beneath her as she stared at the test in her shaking hands. Two pink lines. Clear as day. Her heart pounded. This wasn’t supposed to happen—not to her.
Her parents were going to kill her. She had ruined everything. No college, no plans, no way out. Panic clawed at her chest. For the first time in years, she wanted to run to her mother, but what was the point? They’d just scream at her, say I told you so, and throw her out. She was sure of it.
When she finally told them, she braced for the explosion.
But it never came.
Her dad took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face. Her mom’s eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t yell. Instead, she reached out and pulled Tina into a hug.
“We’ll help you,” her mother whispered. “But things have to change, Tina. You have to listen now.”
Tina broke. The weight of all her choices hit her at once, and she sobbed into her mother’s shoulder. She had spent so many years shutting them out, convinced they were the enemy. But they had only wanted to protect her—to guide her. She had ignored wisdom, and now, she was facing the consequences.
That night, as she lay in bed, she whispered a prayer she hadn’t said in years.
“God… I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to be a mom. I don’t know how to fix all of this. But I think—I think—my parents might be right. Help me, please.”
And for the first time in a long time, she felt something other than fear.
She felt hope. And grateful that she had a loving family to support her.
Prayer:
Father,
I confess that sometimes I don’t listen to the wisdom You place in my life.
I think I know better. I push away the people who love me, the ones trying to guide me in the right direction.
But Lord, I see now that wisdom isn’t a punishment—it’s protection.
Help me to have a humble heart. Help me to listen when You speak through others.
Give me the courage to admit when I am wrong and the strength to change my ways.
Thank You for never giving up on me, even when I have ignored You.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
