“Look, Mom, look at my worm!”
I poked my head out the backdoor, to see Trey holding up a rather spindly-looking worm.
“Nice worm, Trey.”
“Can I eat it?” The look on his face was somewhere between revulsion and hope.
“Sure, go ahead.” I said.
The look on his face went to surprise.
“Really?!”
“Well, I wouldn't eat it, but if you want to try it for yourself...”
Eyebrow raised, Trey looked at the worm. Gingerly, he put it up to his mouth. I tried not to hurl.
As it touched his lips and he opened his mouth, I thought, 'Oh my goodness, he's really going to eat it!
The tip of his tongue touched the worm. I cringed.
“Blech! Eew!' Trey began rubbing his hands over his mouth, the worm falling unharmed to the ground.
“How did it taste, buddy?” I worked to keep my tone relaxed, and my face straight.
“Yuck!”

In my limited mom experience, I've come to the conclusion that my son does best when he learns by doing. Many times I'll hear parents say, 'Don't do _______ ,you could ______.' and I'm sad for the child and the lost opportunity to let kids learn by doing. (I realize that there are times when safety comes first. But sometimes, let's admit, it's more about inconvenience, or worry what other people will think, than what is actually good for the children.)

You know what I love about God? He knows that our tendency is to 'eat the worm'. And he gives us direction and guidance, and sometimes just lets us experience life, knowing that our decision may not be healthy or helpful or even a good idea. But he gives the space to eat the worm, and come back to him and say, 'So... that wasn't what I thought it would be... What was it you told me to do God?' And he smiles and loves us.

It's one of the reasons I appreciate the bible. Can you imagine trying to follow the direction of a silent God? When we're looking at our worms, we can pray, hearing from the Holy Spirit, or we can open our bibles to know exactly what God thinks about the choice we are making.

(Google is a cool bible study/search help. I don't have my bible memorized and sometimes I need to know what God thinks. I can type my choices into Google: Bible verses about gossiping... or Bible verses about conflict... or Bible verses about.... Well, you get the drift.)  

Today, God wants to encourage you to find out what he thinks before you eat the worm. It could save you from having to deal with the fallout of a really yucky consequence!

The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? 

"My friend!" Trey threw his arms around the little boy, and they both grinned. Long, lost buddies, they hadn't seen each other for the 30 seconds it had taken them to walk from one ride to the next.