Today I read Numbers 30 which concerns the making of vows of a woman. Apparently when a woman makes a vow, of any kind, if she is unmarried, her father can stop her and disavow the vow. If she is married, her husband can do the same. But it has to be done the first time the man, husband or father, hear the vow, otherwise it is a broken promise. I didn't realize that this would happen so much in life but apparently it was common enough for God to say something about it.
It seems to me that people back in those days have the same problems that we have now. Teaching children the right way to behave and allowing them to suffer the consequences of their bad actions. Now that I am a parent, I can understand why so many parents want to rescue their kids. It is so hard to let your child suffer. Unless I am angry with my daughter, I just want to bundle her up and keep her safe from every bad thing in the world. Maybe that instinct will lessen as she gets older since she is not even two years old yet, but I don't know. I suspect my paternal instinct will be strong as ever, especially towards my little girl. I know my father in law still looks out for his daughter, my wife, all the time and wants to be helpful and is concerned about her. But like a good parent he still lets her do what she needs to do and is concerned from a distance since she is married. I am very grateful for it because I know not every parent is so hands off. I am a lucky man indeed. Until tomorrow.
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