mage credit: jordygraph / 123RF Stock Photo

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Prov 13:20).

When Grace was in preschool, PreK 4 to be exact, she was a real tomboy.  She liked to play Batgirl to anyone else’s Batman.  She wanted to be David, when playing David and Goliath.  So you can see that, on the one hand, she had a real thirst for adventure.  But on the other hand, she was a rule following do-gooder, being the first born and all.  Nowadays she is most likely to get into trouble for trying to act as a sort of Hall Monitor to her brother; that is the rule-following side of her.  When she was much younger, the adventurous side got her into trouble.  In this case, it happened because she took a shine to a boy in her class named Jake.  None of us can remember his last name but “Jake” will live on, in infamy, in our family forever.

To Gracie, he was a “cool kid”…I was dismayed to see that this mattered to her in preschool.  This so-called “friend” dared her to sneak through the fence during recess.  She thought she was being brave and daring.  Then the “little kids” followed her.  [As an aside, isn’t it hilarious that 4 year olds call 3 years old preschoolers “little kids”?]  All of this hub bub along the fence line attracted some real attention.  The teachers discovered the jail break, and Gracie was in the dog house.  That’s when the real drama began.

Gracie was devastated.  Her teachers were more than upset.  They were…disappointed.  Ugh – that’s the worst for a sweet girl like her.  Plus, she would be in big trouble at home.  All she could do was cry.  On the other hand, all Jake could do was laugh.  The more she cried, the more he laughed.   To Gracie, this was the unkindest cut of all.  She wept silently in the back seat as the teacher described the whole sordid affair at pick up time.

Back then, all I wanted to do was sink down in the driver’s seat as I pulled out of carpool line and into traffic.  Today, I would see that this was a wonderful opportunity to speak the Word into my child’s heart.  More than likely, back then, I think I yelled the Word into her ear.  BTW, I do not recommend this method of teaching.  But either way, this situation led to a great deal of discussion about choices and became a memorial stone along our family journey – a lesson we look back to and remember what we learned.  This is The Family Workshop…this is building our House upon the Word.

There were many lessons for Gracie that day.  Lessons about loyalty: hers was misplaced, his was nonexistent.  Lessons about influence: he influenced her to do wrong; she influenced others to follow her in that way.  Lessons about rules: rules are a fence that protects us, and when we go outside of that fence, we are vulnerable and we can endanger others.  But the route that I took was to teach her about choices.  The choices we make define who we are.

• The friends we choose will lead us in some direction, so we must consider our choice of friends.  And we must be the friend that leads others in the right way.
  • Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Cor 15:33).
  • One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray (Prov 12:26).
• Ultimately, we are responsible for the way in which we walk.
  • Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them (Eph 5:8b-11).
  • Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers (Psalm 1:1).
• Listening to our Best Friend, will never lead us in the wrong direction.
  • A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov 18:24).
  • Jesus said: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you (John 15:13-14).

How about you?  Do you have good friends who will speak Truth to you?  Next Friday, I will finally get to a post that keeps getting away from me: A Little Help from Our Friends.

Happy Friday!  Hugs,

Britta ~ I Am justAgirl…just like you!