This is Wise Owl. He loves to learn and write what he learns in his wisdom journal. Wise Owl is excited about going to see his friend Johnny today. What do you think he will learn about wisdom at Johnny’s house?
When Wise Owl gets to Johnny’s house he finds Johnny in his room. Johnny is down on the floor cleaning up his room. He feels overwhelmed by all of the things that need to be picked up. His face is sad.
“Hi, Johnny” says Wise Owl. “You look sad.”
“Yeah, my Mom said that I have to clean up my room before I can play with you today.”
“What kept you from cleaning it earlier?” asks Wise Owl.
“Well, it just seemed like such a big job that when my Mom would mention cleaning up my room, I kept on looking at my favorite library book. The next time she asked I was playing computer games and it just seemed too hard. It makes me tired just looking at all of this stuff.” complained Johnny.
“I think that I have something that might encourage you in my wisdom journal that I wrote down this morning, Johnny” It says in Proverbs,
“You people who don’t want to work, think about the ant! Consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander. It has no leader or ruler. But it stores up its food in summer. It gathers its food at harvest time.
You lazy people, how long will you lie there? When will you get up from your sleep? You might sleep a little or take a little nap. You might even fold your hands and rest.
Then you would be poor, as if someone had robbed you. You would have little, as if someone had stolen from you.”
Proverbs 6:6-11
“Johnny, if we work hard when our parents or our teachers say it’s time to work, then we get to enjoy the good things that come from that work. We know where to find the toys we want to play with because they are in their spot. We know where to find the clothes we want to wear because they are in the drawer in which they belong. We also get to enjoy our time of rest when we don’t have to spend it doing the work we didn’t want to do earlier. You see, it’s not wise to be lazy. Let’s work hard right now. Then we can enjoy some playtime together if your Mom says it’s okay.”
Wise Owl asks you…
1. What does it mean to be lazy?
2. What is unwise about being lazy?
3. Does laziness give glory to God?
4. How can we ask God to help us overcome laziness this week? (This is a good time to remind your child that their worth is not based on whether they are lazy or not. They are valuable because they are created by God. When we ask God to enable us to make wise choices we get to enjoy the blessings of wisdom.)
Activities to make this truth tangible:
1. Purchase an ant farm so your child can see the diligence of the ant.
2. Print out an ant coloring page.
3. Make a plan to address an area of laziness. (Example: picking up toys daily, cleaning your room)
Wise Owl would love to hear your thoughts about wisdom today…
emissions of faith 