Homeschooling a kindergartener is an interesting undertaking to say the least. Most recently, we’ve started a spelling list. While not an exhaustive process at only four words a week, it is a bold new challenge in our world. Day one I explained to my son that he would copy each word three times every day and then on Friday, he would have to write the word without looking.
He gave me that look. The one that says, Oh please. This is too easy.
“I can do it without looking now, Mom.” He said.
“Don’t worry about that yet,” I told him. The object is for him to practice writing as well as to learn how to spell the word. “Just copy the words for now. You’ll get your chance to do it on your own.”
The word was THE. Upon close inspection, all the right lines were there. A straight line down here, a slide right there, a circle back… but it was really a mess. They were sort of grouped together, but not a single line intersected anywhere. I was confused. His penmanship is by no means masterful, but I was surprised by the disaster I was looking at.
“What’s going on with this, bud?” I asked.
“I did it without looking!” He snatched the paper back and proceeded to demonstrate for the next word. With his left hand over his eyes, holding the page in place with his elbows, he carefully formed the lines necessary for the word OF. Not even close!
Once I regained my composure, I explained to him more thoroughly what I meant to say—that he wouldn’t have the words to copy, not that he couldn’t look at his paper. And as I recounted the tale to my husband, his reply was essentially, “That’ll preach.”
Because we all do it.
God gives us instructions, and we jump on in with both feet to do what we think he meant. We forget to copy him. We skip the practice part and want to go straight to the doing part.
Jesus sums up the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16) by saying, ““Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (v 10). The little is as boring and tedious as copying the word THE three times a day, but it’s a very necessary part of the learning process. It’s studying before the test; the drops that precede the downpour.
It’s tempting to do power through the day by day without looking at the Source. Some days, doing it on our own steam doesn’t seem so difficult. We take comfort in knowing the Source is out there, but we can handle today “without looking” to Him. Little do we know our lines are all over the place. We are supposed to be practicing for the “much” that will surely come our way. We will need more than ever to have practiced copying from the Original when that time comes.
Consider your Source today.
By Andrea
1 comment:
Such a great reminder to keep on practicing even when it seems easy. Love the B-ton story.
PS How do you always find the best clip-art? Perfect.
Post a Comment