The other night I went with our 7 year old grandson, Merrick, on his Tiger Cub Scout field trip to a nearby city police department. On our way there, as it almost always is with him, we had a conversation about God. He is very curious and he is also very perceptive.
One statement he made really caught my attention: We work for God because God works for us. In other words, we decide to do things with God as our motivation because God has done so much for us. I like that!
It doesn't say: I'll do something for God, if God does something for me. Rather, I'll do something for God because God has already done things for me.
He went on to talk about how God created the world with all kinds of neat things for us to enjoy, so (according to my grandson) we should take care of the world God has given us! He gave me a short list of examples: animals, plants, toys, people, etc.
The very next day, Karen(my wife) and I went to the other grandson's (Mitchell) Grandparent's Program at school. His third grade class sang and danced to several songs. Grandparents and other guests were treated to a very enjoyable program and the kids looked like they were having a great time!
While we were eating lunch with him, his cousin who's his age, and his other grandparents we complimented them on how well they did. We also commented that they must really like doing that because it showed. They both answered that "no" they don't like singing and dancing, but it was fun.
They did it out of respect and compassion for their teachers and their families!
Two different, but related, motivations about doing things. Both reflect an outward looking view. It's not what they get out of it, it's what others get from it!
What motivates us? What if we thought of what we did in terms of what we did for others? Would/could that change our frame of mind?
Thanks kids, for teaching adults new/old tricks!
No comments:
Post a Comment