Children Will Listen

Tonight our family went to the Alliance in Atl to see “Into the Woods.”  It was a great show that was predictable at first but then turned to show many layers of complexity and depth.


One of the major themes toward the end was “be careful what you teach your children.”  All of the characters at some point had to go into the woods for a journey.  In the first act, they went on this journey to fulfill a wish they’d had for a long time.  In the second act they went into the woods to hide from danger and then when bad things happened anyway they debated staying in the woods to hide from the future.


Once they battled their giants both figuratively and literally, they agreed to teach their children that everyone goes into the woods at some point and if they can learn from the previous generations successes and mistakes, then the journey will be more fruitful.


I’ve always loved fairy tales.  They start with a dream or a wish your heart makes, then comes a time of learning, and then a time of happiness.  


Maybe its just the Disney magic that Tinkerbell has sprinkled on me but I see that our journey with God is no different.  We dream or pray to know who we truly are.  We embark on a journey of discovery that often takes us into the wilderness – just like it did for Moses, John the Baptist, and Jesus.  And after we’ve learned a few lessons we have a time of happiness.  It isn’t necessarily happily ever after but a loop of the same cycle that ends in happily forever after.


So what lessons do I need to teach my children and youth?  Don’t worry when happily ever after ends and loops back many times.  Its important to stay on the path but even more important to pick the right path to journey down.  Not making a decision is in fact making a choice.  High heels are a pain in the butt for walking in the woods.


Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.


Until Everyone Hears,