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Values Lesson
by Verna Cole Mitchell Our grandson Nolan is a full-fledged member of the "terrible twos." He is struggling with his limited vocabulary to bend the world to his will. Our daughter, Debra, and her husband, Phil, recently took Nolan and big brother, Drew, out to dinner. The waitress, very prompt in serving the family and then in removing used dishes, asked Debra if the smaller boy was finished with his plate. Debra just smiled and said, "Not quite. As they lingered over the meal, the waitress asked again if Debra wanted her to take Nolan's almost empty plate, in which he now seemed to be taking no interest. Debra asked her to wait. Finally, when the waitress was removing other dishes, Debra said, "You might as well take Nolan's plate now, too." As the waitress reached for his plate, Nolan immediately held on to it with both hands, and then, using one of the words he pronounces distinctly and quite often, said, "No!" The waitress decided it wouldn't be a good idea to remove it at that time. Then every time she went by Nolan, he would hold on to his plate and tell her, "No." When the waitress brought the check, she smiled and told Debra the plate was $1.49, just in case Debra thought it would be necessary to take it with her. As I chuckled over Nolan's possessiveness of the dinner plate, I thought about things that seem of value to us that really are not important to our Christian walk. We cling to old habits and long-held ideas or even traditions when God would have us be committed to seeking first to please Him. Verna Cole Mitchell is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired teacher, who is so grateful to God for all his blessings. Her desire is to honor God with her life and with her words. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |