For DAD Only:
Direct by Example
Don’t dictate from the armchair. Leaders don’t just talk, they lead. Got it, Dad? Okay, I’m going to cut this short, because I have to help my kids on a task. With the time I’ve saved you here, you can do the same!
Dad, share this story with your kids:
Without Being Told
“So, Mom,” Misty said from the backseat of the car, “didn’t you say that you and Dad were bringing us some surprises when you came?”
“Yes I did.”
“But you said there was a catch, right?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Rusty and Misty looked at each other with raised eyebrows. “Sooooo…?” Rusty said.
“Well, first, let me tell you a story,” Dad said.
Misty let out a long breath.
“It seems that our fruity friends were out camping by the lake.…
Bouncy the Banana was hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry. But supper wasn’t for three more hours. “I want to buy a snack,” he told his friends.
“Hey, that sounds like a good idea,” said Pushy the Pear.
“Quick,” said Hasty Hot Pepper, “let’s run over to the snack shop and buy something.”
The fruity friends hopped over to the snack stand by the lake and bought candy bars. Hasty bought a chocolate bar, Pushy bought a peanut butter bar, and Bouncy bought a granola bar. The three opened their treats and began enjoying them as they walked along the lakeside.
Hasty was done with his bar first. He threw his wrapper down on the ground and said, “Hurry up guys. I want to go canoeing again.”
“Hey, Hasty,” Bouncy said, “you dropped something.”
“Forget it, Banana. I’m too busy to worry about small stuff.”
Pushy the Pear finished his bar next and put the wrapper in a trash can as they passed it.
“Here’s a canoe,” Hasty said. “Let’s go.”
Bouncy sat down on the shore and said, “You guys go ahead. I want to sit down and enjoy my snack.” And he did.
After Bouncy’s friends had paddled away, he nibbled away at his granola bar until he had eaten it all. Then he got up and threw away the wrapper in the trash can. Bouncy started walking along the shore, saying to himself, “I’m almost out of money. I won’t be able to buy anymore snacks.”
As he walked, Bouncy spotted Hasty’s wrapper lying on the ground. He picked it up. On the grass beneath the wrapper, he saw a shiny quarter. Bouncy jumped with excitement. “I found money! I can get another snack tomorrow!”
Bouncy picked up the coin and hopped away to throw the wrapper in the trash. Once he had tossed it, he reached down and picked up the trash can lid that had fallen. There on the ground lay a a crisp, green dollar bill. “Wow, I’m rich!” Bouncy said, jumping up and down. He set the lid onto the trash can, picked up the money, and hopped away to tell someone about his good fortune.
Then he saw a page from a newspaper lying on the ground. He looked at it and thought about it for a minute. “Hmmm. I wonder if it happens every time. Naw, it can’t,” he said has he started to hop on. Then he stopped and looked back at the newspaper again. “But I should pick it up anyway.”
Bouncy reached down, snatched up the newspaper, and gasped. There on the ground lay a whole book full of stickers. He flipped through the pages and shouted, “Oh this will be great for my sticker collection. Yippee!”
Bouncy threw away the newspaper and spent the rest of the day looking for more litter he could clean up. Altogether, he found a new watch, a little race car, and over fifteen dollars.
“So, Bouncy learned a good lesson,” Dad finished. “Now, what lesson did you learn from the story, guys?”
“That we shouldn’t be litter bugs?” Rusty suggested.
Dad frowned. “Not that really. It’s more than that.”
“If we leave trash on the ground, we should put money under it?” Misty tried.
Dad looked at Mom and rolled his eyes. “Come on, you guys can do better than this.”
Misty laughed. “You want us to pick up things.”
Dad smiled, “That’s part of it. We brought back prizes with us to give to two kids who show initiative.”
“Initiative? What’s that?” Misty asked.
“It means that you initiate or start doing things on your own. We are going to reward you for finding and doing jobs around the house and yard without our having to tell you or remind you.”
* * *
After the family arrived home and had unpacked their luggage, Misty noticed that the front porch was messy. She picked up some toys and things and put them away. Then she grabbed a broom and tidied up the whole area.
Meanwhile, Rusty had disappeared into the garage where he straightened, cleaned, and organized the workbench. Dad walked in just as he was finishing.
“Wow, Rusty,” Dad said, “it looks like you learned what initiative is all about.”
Rusty grinned. I looked under everything, but I didn’t find any money.
Dad laughed. “C’mon in and let’s look at what prize your mother and I brought back for you from our trip.”
As they went into the kitchen, Mom was just coming in with Misty. “Well, our little girl has learned a lot about initiative. She just cleaned up the whole front porch.”
“Well, I have another initiative expert here. I think we have begun a good thing in this house. Okay, ladies first, Misty. Here, we have a gift for you. And Rusty, here’s something for you.”
Misty opened the bag and pulled out a new set of markers and a fat coloring book. “This is cool,” she said.
Rusty looked in his bag and pulled out a set of three books. “Mystery stories—all right!”
What is initiative?
When have you shown initiative by doing some work without being asked?
Should your parents have to remind you to make your bed, brush your teeth, or put away your laundry?
What jobs do you do regularly around the house?
How does it help our parents when we do things without their having to ask us?
How did Bouncy the Banana show initiative?
Even though we don’t find money and prizes every time we do things without being asked, what happens for people who take initiative?
They get better jobs, gain respect from others, and are blessed by God.
How does Hasty’s attitude look to you? What does Proverbs 21:5 say about this?
What promise can you claim from that verse? What kind of life can you have if you learn initiative in your life?
Read the following scripture with the family:
Ezra’s Initiative
Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest--this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel:
Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth. I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you.
And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem; and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem--
now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasury.
And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, do issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently, up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit. Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God. And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them. Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.
Ezra 7:1-28 from New King James Version, © 1983 Thomas Nelson. Used with permission.
What did Ezra take initiative for?
To teach God’s plan to His people.
Who told him to go to Israel?
He chose to do it on his own. Of course, he was lead by God.
When Ezra made up his mind to do this for God, what happened?
The king encouraged him and gave him money and resources to help accomplish the project.
Someday you will take initiative for God. What do you think He might ask you to do?
Role Play: What if you see someone close their car door and not notice that a seat belt is hanging out the door. Should you say something?
What if you see litter on the ground at the park? Should you pick it up? What about helping those in need? What about telling someone about Jesus and the plan of salvation? Should we wait to be asked? Should we wait to be told? Or should we be self-motivated for these kind of things?
Memory Verse
Proverbs 21:5
The thoughts of the diligent
tend only to plenteousness;
but of every one that is hasty
only to want.
