One of our dear children informed me of a goal to memorize Obadiah.
Obadiah? the book?
Really?
Why, I asked.
I like the message, the innocent-looking child responded.
When the child wasn’t able to exactly explain what that message was, I responded like any other wise mother. I said, “Oh.”
After I chuckled to myself, I had to go reread Obadiah and see if there was anything there that a seven year old would find worthy to memorize. The moment of discussion passed, and then I started to think about it.
What was the motivation in sharing this piece of information? Looking for mother’s verbal approval of spiritual goals? Trying to one-up the other siblings spiritually? Having heard a Sunday school lesson on Obadiah, genuinely wanting to memorize something from the passage? Fascinated with a one-chapter book of the Bible that could be easily memorized? It’s possible not to know WHY we choose certain goals.
And what should I have done? Lavished praise on the child for seeking the Lord and his ways? A lecture on the danger of pride? A pointed dose of reality that other passages would be more profitable for memorization? Or just smile and let the conversation move to other things. Today, I’m remembering the conversation and simply laughing at my delightful children.
Leave a Reply