From Children to Parents : A Dishonest Scale

“Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.” (Pv. 11: 1)

Whenever I read this passage, I associated honesty in relation to dealing with others or in everyday “business”. Until, by necessity, I realized that I myself could become a “dishonest scale”…

How?

– When I do not “judge” myself accurately, thinking I am something that I’m really not, or having qualities for which I didn’t battle or sacrifice. This makes me “blind” towards my own mistakes, preventing me from identifying them, pursuing and “killing” them;

– When my eyes are “critical”; I hastily judge others by their posture, attitude or words without giving them the benefit of the “doubt”. I don’t try to understand what motive they had to act or speak a certain way … I stop attending to the needs of others, and I start prioritizing my emotions;

– When I am religious, looking for God the way I “learned”, but not as I need to. Attending the Church systematically, I don’t dispose myself to listen and really practice;

– When I allow myself to become “unbalanced” by my own tasks, failing to prioritize the most important: God, my inner being, my husband, children, ministry … I stop investing in “souls”, and I begin to invest in passing things;

– When I don’t put an effort in educating wisely, but I allow myself to be lead by modern habits: “Because everyone has, my children must have too”; “Because everyone does it, my children can not be left out; “Because everyone eats it, why would I ban it from them?” “They do not like it… let’s do something else!”

We must be careful not to move from one extreme to the other, because we can become a dishonest scale. See some more examples:

Understanding is not synonymous of permissiveness – Although I love my children, that does not mean that all the time, I will allow or agree with their attitudes or “impositions”, whether they are typical of their age or not;

Humility is different from Inferiority – Because I might be a simple “person”, but that does not mean I will not have self-esteem or I would fail to appreciate myself;

Do you understand now how quickly, if we are not vigilant, we can move from one extreme to another?
The accurate and just “weight” is God’s delight! And this is achieved through an intimate and healthy communion with our Creator. He gives us the ability to see where we have made a mistake, and more than that … The strength to reach it!

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a moderation.” (II Tm.1:7)