Don’t Pet the Bison

. . . And other things you don’t think you have to tell your kids. I asked some of my mom friends for the most outrageous things they’d ever had to tell their kids not to do, and here’s what they told me (along with a few that have come out of my own mouth): 

• Don’t eat Tide Pods.
• Don’t bring a kitten home from Tennessee.
• Don’t lick the floor. 
• Don’t eat the dog’s food.
• You can’t teach the cat to read.
• Don’t put cereal in your nose.

As God’s children, he’s had to tell us plenty of things that he probably thought we should know already, but we seem to do them over and over again anyway.

• Don’t gossip.
• Don’t complain. 
• Watch your attitude.
• Love and respect others. 
• Put God first (on Sundays and every other day).
• Be generous.
• Don’t worship idols (disguised as kids’ soccer games, career success, or a bigger house).
• Don’t be jealous (of your friends’ lives as portrayed on Instagram and Facebook).

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

Duh. Remember when we were teens and that was the standard response that meant “I know! I’m not stupid, so you didn’t have to tell me that”? And then remember when our moms were right after all?

How many times did God have to rescue the nation of Israel in the Old Testament because they did something stupid like worship idols or make a treaty with the enemies that God told them to destroy (Joshua 9, the book of Judges)? A lot! How many times does God have to rescue us because we went ahead and said what was on our minds or skipped church for the third week in a row? A lot!

When God tells us something in his Word, it’s because he knows best. For real. We should not be so arrogant as to say “duh” because chances are we’re about to act like a tourist with her arm stretched out to pet that bison. 

Paul assures us that God gives us the ability to follow God’s directions so that we may live a life that glorifies Him. That’s what this well-known verse is really talking about: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Let me know in which areas I can pray for you to be strengthened.