My niece and nephew are rowdy.  Though, could anything else be expected of a five-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy? When they visited us recently with their mother, my expectation was that the kids would spend approximately as much time rough-housing as they would on timeout (for rough-housing, of course).  However, my wife and I were shocked at how well-behaved they were.  Their mother explained she and her husband had recently enrolled in a parenting class, where they learned effective strategies for training and disciplining their children.

She also told us of another couple in that class with some notoriously rowdy kids.  It only took one week for that couple to discover that the class… well, it wasn’t for them.  “Whatever happened to just telling your kids what to do because you’re the parent!” they asked.  “What happened to demanding respect?”  Well, judging by their kids, by the “fruit of their labor,” I can only wonder; how well is that strategy working?

Perhaps Jesus’ clearest and simplest teaching is one of the most difficult to put into practice.  We find a sense of security in the words, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but we’re scared to death of potentially facing the reality that “it” might be “broke.”  Today, pray for a renewed perspective.  Ask God to open your eyes to the things He sees in you that may need to change.

Give me eyes to see more of who You are.
May what I behold still my anxious heart.
Take what I have known and break it all apart,
For You, my God, are greater still.