Flex Time

(Proverbs 4:3 KJV)  For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

Solomon claims that in his youth he was “tender” (7390).  The word means “soft, delicate, weak.”  Here it is a good trait and in the Old Testament it is almost always positive.  This is a flexibility that makes a person able to learn and adapt.

Why do we lose that quality?  When do we lose it?  Is it inevitable or can we retain it?  Can we recover it once it is gone?  Look at one other place the word is used, one that you are more familiar with,

(Proverbs 15:1 KJV)  A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Here our word is “soft.” 

This tells me that we can grow in this area.  We can learn to be “tender” and flexible.  We can learn.

So?  Don’t give up.  Don’t make excuses.  Adapt in the areas that deserve change.  Most of us have many areas like that.