Scripture reading: Matthew 11:25–30

Higher Education

And a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)

For the first six years of his life, our grandson Jaden lived with us. Katy and I felt honored to be so intimately involved in the lives of our daughter and her son. I rather quickly made the assumption that God allowed this happy circumstance because he wanted me to be a teacher and a guide for my infant grandson: blessed child, having a role model like me to imitate! However, not long after Jaden and his mother moved in, I began to discover how wrong-headed my thinking really was; the one who needed an education in our home was not Jaden, but me! God sent Jaden to be my teacher, not the other way around. I wish I could say that I learned everything my little God-sent professor taught me, but that would not be true. However, I can testify to how much richer my life is today because of the higher education I received under his hands-on tutelage. Here are a few of the lessons I learned from my little teacher.

1. Shared donuts (with sprinkles!) make life much more manageable.
2. The best books are the storybooks (with lots of pictures).
3. The differences between a tractor and a bulldozer are important.
4. Most adult conversation is boring.
5. Naps are good for you.
6. The most exciting place in church is the nursery.
7. The Wiggles provide better musical entertainment than American Idol.
8. Shared donuts (with sprinkles!) make life much more manageable.
9. Every day is an adventure.
10. Making a paper airplane is harder than you think.
11. Hugs help.
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? is a very good question.
13. Repeating the same thing over and over really does get results.
14. Long walks hand-in-hand are worth the effort.
15. Any member of the human race is a potential friend.
16. Dreams of flying like Superman, fighting like David, and growing big like Clifford are really great ways to think about the future.
17. Children’s television is better than adult television.
18. It really doesn’t matter if there is a stain on your shirt.
19. Just because you love dirt doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy a good bath.
20. Ants are interesting.
21. Shared donuts . . . Oh yeah, I already said that.
22. The best way to get from one place to another is to run at full throttle.
23. It’ really hard to say “I’m sorry,” but it’s always worth it.
24. Pride and self-centeredness start early.
25. There are more things to explore in your backyard than you ever imagined.

When Jaden came to live with us, I dreamed of the day when he might say, “I want to be like Papa when I grow up.” Now, I have discovered how much I want to be like him!

A person’s a person, no matter how small.
—Horton the elephant, as quoted
in Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss

point to ponder • What have you learned from children recently?

prayer focus • Parents of small children. Pray for patience, wisdom, and strength, and for the ability to enjoy the wonder along the way.