Marc was about to leave for school when he heard Mom call down from upstairs. "Marc! Hey, Marc!" She went on to say something he couldn't hear very well. She probably wants me to do something before I leave, thought Marc. But I want to get to school early so I can play basketball before the bell rings. "Bye," he called, pretending not to hear her. He quickly glided out the door even though he could hear that his mother was still talking.
When Marc returned home from school, his mother looked up in surprise. "Oh, Marc! I thought you were fishing with Grandpa," she said. "He called just as you were leaving to say he was taking your cousins fishing this weekend and wanted you to come with--I called down to you and you said something back, so I assumed you heard me. I told you to go straight to Grandpa's after school and that I'd drop off your overnight bag and fishing gear there during the day."
"Oh no!" said Marc, remembering how he'd decided not to listen to his mom that morning. "I...I didn't want to listen because I thought you wanted me to do something before I left, and I wanted to play basketball, so I hurried off!" He sighed. "Now I'm missing the fishing trip, and it's all my fault!" He sat down hard in a chair and put his head in his hands.
Mom pursed her lips. "Deliberately not listening to me when I'm telling you something isn't good, Marc. It's important to listen to your parents, regardless of what you think they'll tell you--and you might even be wrong like you were today. But more importantly, God put parents in kids' lives to teach and guide them. But you won't learn anything and will cause yourself a lot of problems if you don't listen to us. That's why God tells Christians to obey those in authority over them--kids and adults alike--and you definitely need to listen to what God says!" Mom picked up the phone. "But we can talk more about this later. I think you've learned your lesson, and I'm sure Grandpa wouldn't leave without you--I'll give him a call and drive you over." Rose Ann Mayhle
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you deliberately not listened when a parent spoke to you? Or when a teacher told you to do something? God gave everyone—even adults—instructions, and part of His instructions to kids is to obey their parents and others in authority. To do that, you need to hear what they say. God uses them to teach and guide you. So pay attention and listen to what they say.
TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Proverbs 1:8 (KJV)
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.*Verse displayed is NKJV