🍞 Proverbs 13

Proverbs 13 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “A wise son listens to his father’s instruction, but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.

Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded.” Proverbs 13 opens with these words: “A wise son listens to his father’s instruction, but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke.” The line to keep is Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.” Carry the word “hope” from that verse into the rest of the day.

The line worth learning out loud is Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.

What happens first in Proverbs 13? Then try this: Read “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.