INFLUENCESample

Born in a Barn

It’s funny the things we remember. 

When we were kids, anytime we left the front door open, even just for a second or two, my dad would say, “you weren’t born in a barn.” Which was technically true. I was not, in fact, born in a barn. I was born in a hospital. But when I see a door open now, sometimes I’ll remember that goofy saying. It stuck with me. It became a part of my history. And I’m sure my dad didn’t come up with it. It’s probably something my grandmother said to him when HE was a kid. And maybe her parents said it to her. And maybe they were actually born in a barn. People lived crazy lives way back then. But I remember it because my dad said it, and he said it often. 

In Proverbs, the writer is giving advice for young leaders on how to live a godly life. At one point, he asks them to remember the commandments and teachings of their parents. In fact, he says they should tie the teachings around their neck. In other words, they should be so familiar that they’re like a pendant worn every day that eventually becomes a part of you. The kind of thing that feels weird when you realize you forgot to put it on. 

That’s how we should treat the lessons we learn from those who’ve come before us. 

Of course, we don’t all have godly parents, and they don’t all give great advice, but God has placed leaders and teachers in our lives. Your youth pastor. Your small-group leader. The older men and women at your church. These people can act as our spiritual fathers and mothers. And of course, we have the best father of all, God. We hear his lessons in the book he left for us: the Bible. 

So pay attention to the things these people say. Tie them around your neck like a pendant. Wear them daily so you won’t forget. And eventually you’ll be repeating them, too. 

Challenge:

1. THINK ABOUT IT! Who are the people around you that can speak positive, godly messages into your life? What lessons can you learn from them? 
2. REFLECT! What can you do to make sure the lessons you learn get put into practice on a daily basis? What can you do to share those lessons with others? 
3. PRAY! Pray that God will surround you with parents (biological or otherwise) whose lessons you can cling to. Pray that He will make you a person of influence for others as well.