Teach Them Tuesday: Teaching Them to Teach

I love all the teachable moments God presents in a single day! A few days ago my son was helping me with some yard work which always holds many opportunities for life lessons.

First, we raked back all the pine straw from the beds to expose the weeds. I talked to my son about how the weeds in our lives could be sin or bad influences, and sometimes we need to expose the weeds that we haven’t realized are there by asking God to search our hearts.

Next we pulled the weeds out of the ground and I showed him how to get down to the root so they won’t grow back so quickly. He often just pulls off the tops, so I explained how that would cause us to have to weed the bed again in just a couple of weeks– something neither of us want!! Getting as much of the root out as possible keeps better control of the weed growth. I told him that addressing our problems at the root is key to getting them completely out of our lives.

And lastly, I trimmed the shrubs while he gathered the limbs and twigs that fell. There were clumps of tangling vines running throughout the shrubs that I pulled out, and I pointed to some bare spots in the bushes. Those bare spots were caused by the vines and weeds sucking up the nutrients before the shrubs could get them, and by the weedy vines blocking the sunlight to those parts of the shrubs. I told him that removing the “junk” from the shrubs would allow the bush to receive more nutrients and sunlight, restoring its health. There can be toxic people, bad situations, or unhealthy habits in our lives that can drain us of the good nutrients of spiritual food, and keep us in the dark, away from the light. Getting that junk out of our lives will allow the right food and light to get into our hearts, making us strong and healthy once again.

Throughout my ramblings, my son nodded and agreed patiently and respectfully, but I was beginning to wonder if he might inwardly be rolling his eyes and wishing I’d stop trying to teach lessons. And then, to a mama’s delight, the best thing happened.

As we were reaching and stepping behind the shrubs close to the wall of the house, I cautioned him to watch for snakes that might be hiding in the cool shade. He confidently stated, “You know, mom? The devil is like a snake! He will slither his way into our lives and try to trick us, and sometimes we don’t notice until it’s too late because he’s sneaky and dangerous and we have to watch out for him!”

Could a mama be any prouder than I was that moment?! This boy of mine taught a lesson back to me! And it hit me that besides teaching our kids for the purpose of informing and imparting wisdom on them, another reason we teach our children is so they can also go and teach others (and sometimes teach back to us!).

And if his teaching wasn’t cute enough, look back in the photo up top at what he rigged up to carry the weeds and branches to the trash pile. He tied his wagon to his bike and made several trips back and forth. So awesome!