Josiah and I hiked and we both learned a very powerful lesson today. Here is part I of our conversations on character building recorded digitally during the outing. Words in quotes are from Josiah, and those without are my own:
We came up to the earth sanctuary and I let you lead, and what was the rule?
“To only go as far as I can see you, but you didn’t.”
I didn’t? Oh yeah, that part changed because we got to our resting place.
Then we got to our resting place and what was the rule? Be patient with finding your “car.”
Two more rules after we arrived: You could go wherever you want as long as you can see the “sanctuary,” and only tell me stories about imaginary bad guys after you – “after a bad guy teaches me a lesson.” That’s right! That’s right.
What happened when you were patient with finding your car? “It taught me a lesson.”
What did it teach you? “It taught me that waiting is a good thing.” That’s right, and what is waiting called when you are doing something while you are waiting? “Patience.” Patience, yeah, it means you never give up.
Your determination will never give up, and your heart will sing to what you want and it will find you when you have that kind of determination.
What happened when you did that? “I felt safe.” You felt safe, and what did you find? “My car.” You found your car, that’s right. “But I can’t get it.” Yeah, you can see it but you can’t get it, and that is also determination.
Then, when you let the bad guys teach you something, what did they teach you? “It taught me that -doing bad things to bad people is bad.” Wow! How did it teach you that? “By doing something bad to me after I did something bad to it.”
Oh, so you got to feel how it feels like when someone does something bad to you. You knew that it was bad, even if you were bad, to have someone do something bad to you.
Wow, that is a powerful lesson, Josiah. You are a good teacher. “The bad guy even didn’t teach me that, I just thought it.” That is right, you are learning how to think and you are learning how to accept the energy that is inside of you, and learning how to think with great power.
I told you that I didn’t want to hear stories about bad guys because it is not healthy to run away and to fight bad guys inside of you, and I only want to hear the story after you accept the bad guy because the bad guy is your power inside of you.
The bad guy taught him a powerful lesson that he was able to think for himself, that doing bad things to bad people is bad. Straight from the mouth of a 5-year-old child.
Shemmesh! AAAAAhhhhhhh. Shemmesh wrote a song today, we are calling it the song of determination. “What does determination mean?” Determination is the same thing as patience, but it is being patient while you are finding what you are looking for, and you never ever give up. “AAAhhhhh (shemmesh)” AAAAAAhhhhhhhh.
“Papa, I found but I can’t get it. Be patient till you can get it.” You found it but you can get it. Did you ask Shemmesh to help you? “No.” Well you can try to ask him to help you. He has little hands, he can reach it. Show him it and I bet he’ll just get it himself when he sees it. “Baby! Baby! Baby!”
Alright, let’s go together. Shemmesh, let’s go find it! Let’s see if the baby theory holds true.
Papa is getting up to look at the rocks with Josiah.
Baby let’s go look at the car. “I’ll show you where it is.” Oh, that is too far for the baby to go. “Baby: Up, Papa.” Yeah, you want to go up?
“Down there.” Yeah, in between the rocks. “Down! There! That hole!” Holy cow, you said it was a tiny hole. It looks pretty deep down there. We’re not going to let Shemmesh down there. “But he is bigger than it.” Well, if he is bigger than it, then he will get stuck. “Why?” Because he has to be smaller than the hole just like you in that hole right there. You are smaller than that hole and that is how you fit through it. “Baby: Hole?” Yeah.
Well, I wonder, do you know what we can do, Josiah?
“He is thinner than it and he is bigger than it so he can poke his head out?” Oh, you mean taller than it, yeah. I don’t see the car yet. “It is in there!!” Yeah, do you know what that car is made out of? “No.” Metal, probably steel, and you know it might be the right kind of metal that sticks to magnets. “We should get a magnet.”
Yeah, if we get a really strong magnet and tape it to a stick, we can probably run the stick down in there and then the car will stick to it, then you pull the stick out. Want to go make that and come back? I think that is the safest way to get your prize, what do you think?
“No, I want you to get it with your own arm.” Look what my own arm is holding. “Oh, you can set baby down.” No, I’m not going to set him down on these rocks. If he sees me climbing up in these rocks he is going to be afraid because he doesn’t want me to get hurt. He doesn’t understand like you do. “You can put him over there.” Yeah, but then I have to stay over there.
Josiah, part of being patient means using what you have. Being resourceful means using what you have, and if you don’t have what you need, then to be patient means that you need to take another step to get what you need, meaning to build what you need. I gave you a good idea for something you can build. Even his stick right here could help you, especially if you tape a magnet to it.
“Or stick a magnet to it.” Well, magnets don’t stick to wood. “Magnets stick to magnets, and stick to metal.” That is right, so if you found a metal pole that the magnet can stick to that is even easier, so we don’t have to find tape. “I need help finding a metal pole.” Yeah, we can probably find one in the dumpster, actually. “And then we can climb back up here.” Yeah, let’s go! “Yeah!!!” Yeah! “Then I can get it by myself!” You can with the right tools, right? “With the right TOOL!”
With the right tool, right. And if you don’t have the right tool, you can create it. You have the power to create. You are a child of God.
“Papa, this is how I jump!”