None of us knows it all

By Greg Miller

Learning was very important to Mitchell, a sixth-grader.

He read at least two books every week. “I want to learn as much as possible,” he told Melissa, his mom. “Knowledge is power.”

By the end of the seventh grade, Mitchell had developed a love of history. “The more I know about the mistakes that have been made in the past, the less likely I will be to make those mistakes myself,” he told his mother.

“You’re a very bright young man,” Melissa said. “I’m sure you’ll make lots of great decisions during your lifetime, but I’m also sure you’ll make your share of mistakes.”

Millard, Mitchell’s 85-year-old great-grandfather, enjoyed making wood crafts, and he was passing some of those skills along to Mitchell. “Creating something from a block of wood helps me know a little bit about how Jesus must have felt when He was working as a carpenter,” Millard said.

Millard also did a masterful job of turkey carving, and Melissa prepared roast turkey for Mitchell’s birthday dinner every year. Millard decided to cut the turkey into slices shaped like the heads of American presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. “You can think about the accomplishments of these two great presidents while you’re eating,” Millard said.

After the blessing, Mitchell asked his great-grandfather to share his greatest life decisions. “My second most important decision was asking your great-grandmother, Myrtle Mae, to marry me,” Millard said.

“What was your most important decision?,” asked Mitchell.

“The most important decision was asking Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior,” Millard replied.

“Wow!,” exclaimed Mitchell. “It sounds like you made a bunch of great decisions during your lifetime. And I’d say you’ve learned a lot of things, too.”

“Oh, I’ve learned many things, all right,” said Millard. “I’ve learned that God’s Word is true. I’ve learned that God is my best friend and that He loved me enough to send Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for my sins. I’ve also learned that if we don’t learn from history’s mistakes we will repeat them. I’ve learned that God exalts a righteous nation and judges a sinful country.”

Millard then asked his great-grandson: “What have you learned during your short life?”

“Compared to you, Grandfather, not much at all!,” Mitchell said. “It seems like you know almost everything.”

“No Mitchell,” replied Millard. “I don’t know much at all. But the Sovereign Lord, on the other hand, was smart enough to make everything out of nothing, and He set up numerous laws to make everything function properly.”

“So what you’re saying is when we start thinking about how smart we are, we should forget those thoughts and realize that God is the only real know-it-all, right Grandfather?,” Mitchell laughed.

“That just about sums it up!,” chuckled Millard. “That just about sums it up!”

To contact the writer of this column about speaking engagements and puppet ministry, please e-mail kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.