Wisdom from a Ninth Grader

We're a month into our new lives -- and Ben is flourishing in ninth grade. While I knew that God had worked with us to prepare him for high school, I still doubted. WHY? I know that God answers the prayers of those who love Him. Anyway.... This post is not about my doubt. This post is about Ben's wisdom! May it bless you -- perhaps challenge you -- as it has me.

Our school system sends progress reports home every three weeks. These little reports provide us parents a glimpse into our kids' progress. If the grades aren't where they could or should be, we can work with our student and the teacher to facilitate better learning. I love progress reports!

So, three weeks into Ben's new life as a public school kid, he got his first progress reports. I wasn't home after school, but got a call, "Mom, progress reports came out today. AND I have an A in English!!!" (If you don't know, Ben couldn't read until fifth grade and has always struggled with language arts and English. We enrolled him, on his tutor's advice, in freshman honors English.)

Ben has more than an A in English. He's actually got straight A's going! I'm proud of him... not just for his grades. While straight A's are nice, my son's attitude toward high school is what really makes my heart sing.

Over the weekend, he casually shared, "Mom, high school really isn't hard. Just take it three weeks at a time." 

Isn't that the best advice? He understands that life is not a marathon. Instead of getting overwhelmed by looking at his grades for the whole semester, he is focusing on giving each three-week segment his best. Small, manageable steps that he knows he can do.

When he shared his strategy with me, Matthew 6:34 popped into my head, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Ben might not realize it, but his wisdom is having a dramatic effect on my life. When I find myself worrying about my long-range goals, I remember... look at this step. Don't worry about what's next. When I grow frustrated over the long list of projects to complete, I remember, just do the next one on the list. When I stress out about our chaotic calendar, his wisdom reminds me that I just have to live today.

How about you? Does the big picture overwhelm you? Why not take a wise kid's advice... It isn't really hard. Just take it three weeks at a time!

Thank you, Ben, for teaching your mom some Biblical wisdom!
I love you!
I am proud of you!

Love,