Chasing with a Reckless Abandon

This morning on the way to school, Weatherly asked me, “Daddy – what are you going to do while I’m at school?”  I told her I was going to drop a package off for her mom and then go meet with a homeless guy.  She then wanted to know, “are you going to bring him to live at our house?”  This began a full on conversation about how my friend James isn’t willing to stay with people.  Very confused she asked, “why?”  I told her he doesn’t trust people because he has been hurt and lied to.  He has been told mean things by people that were suppose to be showing him love – now it’s hard for him to trust people.  We spent the rest of the ride to preschool talking about how we can help James learn to trust people again.  Weatherly had many ideas.  She thought about sharing her toys with him . . . she said, “hey, I know . . . he must be cold, I have more blankets in my closet I can give him.”  She thought about giving him a phone in case he wanted to call and talk to a friend.  She said, “Daddy, you talk on the phone a lot – maybe he would like to do that.”  What a proud moment taking this little 4 year old to school.

What a difference a few hours can make . . . but everything is an opportunity to continue the process of “Raising a Disciple”!

When I picked Weatherly up from School I was actually hoping for her to ask me about my meeting with James.  I thought I might take her to meet him if she remembered.  Well, no doing.  She did tell me about a friend giving her a cute little bracelet (it was a hair band of some sort).  I was thinking that little girl’s mom may not be happy but it was one of those things that don’t cost much, so no big deal.  Just about the time we are getting home, Weatherly say, “Daddy . . . can I tell you the truth”.  ”Yes, Please” is my response to that.  Weatherly proceeds to tell me that she found the bracelet in the bathroom and took it.  By this time we are pulling into the neighborhood (15 min. from the school).  I turn the car around for another teaching / discipleship moment.  I explained to Weatherly that when you find something you have 3 options:

1. Leave it so the owner can come back and find it.

2. Take it to a person it charge.

3. Steal it.

We talked about the choice she made was the third and how it was the wrong choice.  I let her go back to school and do the right thing.  She took the bracelet (hair piece) back to her teacher and told what she had done and the lesson she learned through this situation.  It was hard for her, but I know she learned a lesson through it.

Raising a Disciple is hard work but so WORTH it!  . . . Being a Disciple is hard work but so WORTH it!