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We need to learn more than what we want to

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  • Brandon Leonard •
  • Originally published January 16, 2009 at 5:04 p.m., updated January 16, 2009 at 5:04 p.m.

"Oh God, thou hast taught me from my youth. Now when I am old and gray-headed, Oh God, forsake me not." - Psalms 71: 17

Today, I learned that I have only learned those things which I thought were important.

I'm not claiming that this is good, but it does explain why there are so many things that I can't do at all and so few things I really do well. They are the things that are important to me.

Yesterday, I wore one of those dresses that have those maddening belts that has to be tied in a bow. I discovered that I never learned to tie a bow. They always end up going upward and downward with uneven tails pointing upward, which is so wrong.

Learning to tie a bow was never important to me when I was young. As soon as I ever tied one, my mom, in all tenderness and care, would grab my messed up bow, retie it perfectly and tell me how pretty I looked, now, after she had done her home improvements.

Learning to tie a perfect bow was never important to me, even though it was obviously highly important to others.

Why should I learn? Everybody did it for me.

But when I learned to fish, Daddy made it very clear to me that he was not going to spend his fishing time tying on my hooks.

He showed me and taught me how, then said, "If you don't tie the hook on right, you'll lose your own fish." I'm not stupid; I tied the hook on perfectly.

I can still tie on a hook perfectly.

I can even tie on a stringer with a slip knot, an anchor with a bowland knot, a bait bucket with a half-hitch and a boat with a sheepshank knot. I can do this perfectly because all of those things are things I don't want to lose if I tie a sloppy knot.

I'm not stupid.

I just never learned to tie a bow.

Dear Lord, You "taught me from my youth and now that I'm old and gray-headed," I still know that You tied us to You with Your ever binding love and you haven't lost one of us yet. "Bless be the tie that binds."



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