Learn by (not) Doing

“Watch your fingers,” I warned my 3 year old just before I closed the back of the minivan. He pulled them away from where they were resting above the taillight.

I gave the hatch a shove and quick as a flash, he stuck his hand right back in! Of course I couldn’t catch the door before it mashed his fingers, and then I was torn between wanting to scoop him up as he screamed and needing to find the door release to free his poor squished digits.

Thankfully, he’d chosen the space on the car with the biggest clearance and a good bit of weatherstripping that cushioned the blow. He got a little bruise and a big scare.

The memory of the event must have faded quickly because it wasn’t a week later that he stuck his hand on our glass-top stove to see if it was still hot after Hubs fixed breakfast (fortunately it had cooled at that point).

I’ve always wondered how long it would take for him to learn that kind of lesson. Unlike his big brother, Boo is one of those kids who may never learn from a simple warning or by seeing someone else’s mistake. He’s going to have to find out about many troubles via first-hand experience (pardon the pun!).

I often think Boo would fit right in at my alma mater–my university’s slogan was “Learn by Doing.” The philosophy is that it’s better to experience the subject matter than just to read about it. While I think that’s a great approach to typically academic pursuits, I’m not sure it’s the best way to live our lives.

In the 6+ years I’ve been a mom, one of my most-repeated phrases is “That’s not a good idea, is it? That’s not safe/smart/healthy…” It covers all kinds of hazards–riding a bike without a helmet…smoking…touching a hot stove…all those things I hope that my words alone will warn my kids away from.

The Bible is full of similar admonitions. Not a whole bunch of “don’ts,” but our Heavenly Father’s loving attempt to keep us from “getting our fingers shut in the door.”

Unfortunately, sometimes we don’t outgrow this approach to life. Even with an instruction manual that lets us know pretty clearly the kinds of dangers that will cause us real harm and how to avoid them, so often we figuratively stick our fingers in the car door to see “Will this really hurt me?” But how much pain could we avoid if we learn by listening instead of by ‘doing?’

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (The Message)

Lord, help us to hear (and heed) your reminders to “watch our fingers” and stay away from the things you’ve already told us will bring us pain.