And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Math homework. Our child is in third grade. I sure don't remember having to do math like this when I was in third grade. Of course, that was 35 years ago. Evidently much has changed in 35 years, and learning multiplication is based on a while new framework.
We have worked hard the past few weeks here at home on his math. Finally, he brought home a classroom-worked perfect score paper. Twenty problems. All by himself. Dad was proud. Mom was proud. Boy was proud. He had worked during class and through his outside play time at school to achieve that perfect score. Because he had worked so hard, the victory was extra sweet.
Every day, I am anxious to look in his homework folder to see if we have completed his math homework correctly. That grade means almost as much to me as it does to our small boy. He is quick to tell me that I was wrong when he gets a bad grade, but he is just as quick to say, "You did know what you were doing, Mom!"
Those red numbers at the top of the page remind me of life and my daily score. Will I be given a good grade or will I be lacking? Did my temper get away from me? Did my patience fall short? Did I thank God for my blessings and not dwell on the negative? Did my prayer time measure up to where I walked a Godly walk or did I neglect the very thing that makes my day run smoothly?
I want a good reward for my day's work. I want a good reward for my life's work. The only way to achieve that perfect score is to rely on the mercies of God and know that whatever I face, he will be there to help me overcome each obstacle.
We'll keep working on those multiplication problems. But more importantly, we will keep working on our walk with Christ. He erases the mistakes when we acknowledge we've made them; no matter how many times we rework it, when we finally finish, our correct answer will be rewarded.
(This post was written a some days ago...since then, he has received several great grades on his papers! Doesn't mean he enjoys it any more, but at least he is encouraged!)
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