When our firstborn, Nelson, was still a toddler, we decided to buy him his first pet, the same pet most young parents often start with: a goldfish. Except for sea monkeys, nothing could be easier.

Every time little Nelson pushed a chair up to the kitchen counter to see his fish, he’d study the water-filled tank and say, “Dee-dee!” (his word for “drink”). And that’s how Dee got his name.

As most new parents do, we considered our young offspring to be especially bright, so we carefully showed him how to shake the fish food into the water, just two quick shakes each day. Nelson  seemed to understand, following through exactly as I’d told him.

Then one day I came into the kitchen and found him kneeling on the counter, enthusiastically shaking Comet cleanser into Dee’s tank. He looked at me without the slightest bit of guilt, proud of himself for doing what I’d taught him. “Dee eat!” he said with a smile, although Dee was invisible in the cloudy green water.

Dee’s short life came to a quick conclusion after that. Despite an immediate cleaning of the tank, within hours he was belly-up. Nelson had no trouble summing up the situation: “Dee ni-night.”

I’m sure there are times when God instructs me much the same as I instructed Nelson, hoping I’ll listen carefully and diligently follow through. Just as Dee suffered as a result of Nelson’s mistake, I often suffer from my own mistakes… or from plain old disobedience.

Sometimes God’s instructions seem too difficult (or unpleasant) to follow, so I flat-out disregard them and do what seems right to me, even if it’s the opposite of what God said. Such foolishness always results in disaster, maybe immediately, maybe later.

There is one big difference between my instructions to Nelson and God’s instructions to me. Our toddler wasn’t really capable of understanding the feeding ritual for a fish, so Dee’s demise was probably my fault. But God’s instructions are always rightly-matched to my ability to follow through.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you.” (Psalm 32:8)

Praising and Praying with Mary

1. I’m thankful that little Anders had a successful first 24 hours at home.
2. Vacationing in Florida this week has been delightful and nourishing.
3. My heart is aching tonight for good friends who just learned their 50-something husband and father has “cancer everywhere.”