Hello Hello Family,
I hope that you all had a good holiday weekend. Over this weekend (specifically) yesterday, I got into the most interesting discussion/debate with our 5 year old daughter, Zion. I know, I know why am I in a debate with a 5 year? Well you'd have to meet our daughter because she is really intellectual for her age.
She has just started Kindergarten (K5) and the school she is in has a rigorous curriculum. It is a Christian Academy and it requires a lot of reading and whenever she reads a book, we mark it down what she read on a piece of paper. Yesterday, she picked up a book and started reading it (to which it has words in it that I probably couldn't pronounce until I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade LOL), but she was getting frustrated. She hit a word that she had trouble saying, then she closed the book and said (paraphrasing), "Daddy, see I can't do because it's too hard. That's why I don't like school."
Me being the smart person that I am, I told her that it's alright that it is hard and that is how we learn. If we do not do some things harder than what we've always done, we will not learn. She said everything and debated me about how she didn't like school any more. I used the tactic of explaining how I don't like going to work but I do because she has to eat, have cloths, have lights turned on to read, heat to stay warm, yada yada...I was pulling the "look what I do just so you can have but I don't always want to get up and go to work either" card. The more we talked the more she stood her ground about not liking school and she wasn't going back. Finally, I just told her, my job is to go to work and hers is to go to school. She was going to school Tuesday morning whether she liked it or not!
By this time, my wife Deidra walked into the room, seeing her with her face on her chin and her eyes welling, asked what was wrong. Zion explained how she didn't like school because it was hard. What I couldn't do in about 10-15 minutes, my wife completely reversed by pulling the "God Card" LOL. See Zion is quite in tune with God and understands about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In about 5 minutes, my wife explained to her, that without a vision people will perish and that God made us to learn. I don't recall all the scriptures, but Deidra had the girl looking at the scriptures and the next thing I know she was reading the book!
Amazing isn't it?! That's why I love that sticky tape of mines (that's my wife by the way). The one example that my wife gave in explaining the reason to learn was that say, she didn't know what 3+5 equaled and she saw a sign that had it on it. In the example 3+5 on the sign could mean to stop crossing the street so she wouldn't get hit by a car. If she didn't know the answer she could walk out in the street and get hit but if she did she could stop and the car could zoom by making her safe (Sorry hun if I don't have it all the way verbatim).
Now, let's think about our lives as adults for a moment. Right now, you may be working at a job where you find yourself doing some things that was not in the original job description. We are quick to pull that card....."wait a minute, that is not in my job description!" What we fail to realize is what we are forced to do or disliked doing may have future use in another part of our life. It may be the very thing that makes you feel used and abused is the very thing you need to stretch you and "grow you up" in area of your life.
The thing that kids do not realize is that all the hard work and things they learn now, will be relevant in the future and necessary to carry on in life. For that matter, a lot of us as adults have tasks, take classes, care for pets, etc. in a manner that makes no sense for us. We complain just like Zion by asking "Why do we have to do this?" We feel that we could be doing other things besides what we are doing now, but little do we know it is for a reason. "There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). You may see the reason or make sense out of what you are doing (or where you may be in life) right now but know that it is for a reason.
Also, it could be that you have received a vision or revelation, but right now it doesn't seem to come to pass. Maybe it is not for now, but God has just prepared your brain so that when it becomes the right season, you will know how to handle it (see Habakkuk 2:3). Always know that God is in control and knows what He is doing. It is our job to trust in Him that our "later" has already been taken care of "now". We just need to leave the now and walk in readiness for the later parts of our lives.
Be easy folks and have a good one.
Regards,
Antoine E. Hall
Blog: http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33
I hope that you all had a good holiday weekend. Over this weekend (specifically) yesterday, I got into the most interesting discussion/debate with our 5 year old daughter, Zion. I know, I know why am I in a debate with a 5 year? Well you'd have to meet our daughter because she is really intellectual for her age.
She has just started Kindergarten (K5) and the school she is in has a rigorous curriculum. It is a Christian Academy and it requires a lot of reading and whenever she reads a book, we mark it down what she read on a piece of paper. Yesterday, she picked up a book and started reading it (to which it has words in it that I probably couldn't pronounce until I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade LOL), but she was getting frustrated. She hit a word that she had trouble saying, then she closed the book and said (paraphrasing), "Daddy, see I can't do because it's too hard. That's why I don't like school."
Me being the smart person that I am, I told her that it's alright that it is hard and that is how we learn. If we do not do some things harder than what we've always done, we will not learn. She said everything and debated me about how she didn't like school any more. I used the tactic of explaining how I don't like going to work but I do because she has to eat, have cloths, have lights turned on to read, heat to stay warm, yada yada...I was pulling the "look what I do just so you can have but I don't always want to get up and go to work either" card. The more we talked the more she stood her ground about not liking school and she wasn't going back. Finally, I just told her, my job is to go to work and hers is to go to school. She was going to school Tuesday morning whether she liked it or not!
By this time, my wife Deidra walked into the room, seeing her with her face on her chin and her eyes welling, asked what was wrong. Zion explained how she didn't like school because it was hard. What I couldn't do in about 10-15 minutes, my wife completely reversed by pulling the "God Card" LOL. See Zion is quite in tune with God and understands about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In about 5 minutes, my wife explained to her, that without a vision people will perish and that God made us to learn. I don't recall all the scriptures, but Deidra had the girl looking at the scriptures and the next thing I know she was reading the book!
Amazing isn't it?! That's why I love that sticky tape of mines (that's my wife by the way). The one example that my wife gave in explaining the reason to learn was that say, she didn't know what 3+5 equaled and she saw a sign that had it on it. In the example 3+5 on the sign could mean to stop crossing the street so she wouldn't get hit by a car. If she didn't know the answer she could walk out in the street and get hit but if she did she could stop and the car could zoom by making her safe (Sorry hun if I don't have it all the way verbatim).
Now, let's think about our lives as adults for a moment. Right now, you may be working at a job where you find yourself doing some things that was not in the original job description. We are quick to pull that card....."wait a minute, that is not in my job description!" What we fail to realize is what we are forced to do or disliked doing may have future use in another part of our life. It may be the very thing that makes you feel used and abused is the very thing you need to stretch you and "grow you up" in area of your life.
The thing that kids do not realize is that all the hard work and things they learn now, will be relevant in the future and necessary to carry on in life. For that matter, a lot of us as adults have tasks, take classes, care for pets, etc. in a manner that makes no sense for us. We complain just like Zion by asking "Why do we have to do this?" We feel that we could be doing other things besides what we are doing now, but little do we know it is for a reason. "There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). You may see the reason or make sense out of what you are doing (or where you may be in life) right now but know that it is for a reason.
Also, it could be that you have received a vision or revelation, but right now it doesn't seem to come to pass. Maybe it is not for now, but God has just prepared your brain so that when it becomes the right season, you will know how to handle it (see Habakkuk 2:3). Always know that God is in control and knows what He is doing. It is our job to trust in Him that our "later" has already been taken care of "now". We just need to leave the now and walk in readiness for the later parts of our lives.
Be easy folks and have a good one.
Regards,
Antoine E. Hall
Blog: http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33
