Isn’t it so true that the purest wisdom often comes from the youngest among us? In our home, the youngest is our 15-year-old daughter, Emma. She’s the last in the nest and we are homeschooling through highschool so we get to spend a good bit of time together. I love it. I enjoy our morning tea, hearing her share new bits of knowledge and I especially enjoy sharing a little bit about my work with her. We talk about how I work with my customers and manage our employees. She listens far more than she lets on, occasionally sharing wisdom and insight well beyond her years.
The other night at dinner was one such occasion. We had gone out to a favorite Asian restaurant and were finishing up with our fortune cookies. The rule is you cannot read the fortune until you’ve eaten the entire cookie, lest the fortune go to waste. Emma shared her fortune which imparted some wisdom about saving money for a rainy day. After reading mine to myself, I told Emma we must have gotten each other’s fortunes. My fortune encouraged dreaming big and going for it.
Emma’s response was at once encouraging and convicting. When I read my fortune aloud, she said I obviously had the right message, and, a bit exasperated, reminded me of my project, the little brown book of The Word.
I was a little caught off guard. I hadn’t told her this is a dream of mine, had I? Have I even admitted that to myself? Certainly, I believe there might be some potential for this simple approach to studying and sharing the gospel. I’ve been talking about it for more than two years now. Hummm.
She’s right.
It’s as if God knew I might need an extra push forward. He gave it to me in the form of a watchful teen. She’ll learn to either go for her dreams or avoid the risk of failure…from me. She’s paying attention and, thanks to God, I’m aware.
Emma may never know the inspiration she provided (well, I suppose she may now). I’m praying for the courage and fortitude to return the favor.