I was one of those children who constantly fell and skinned my knees. I would have scabs on top of scabs, and because I injured the same places, they took some time to heal. I still have scars on my knees as reminders of those many falls. As I got older, I became more coordinated, but I must admit that I have never been what one would call graceful. Yet the falls mainly occurred because I was going too fast. I moved ahead of the ability of my feet and legs to balance my body.

We have three grandsons who all began walking in the past few months. It has been fun to watch (one by video) each one navigate the world on two legs. They have teetered and fallen, gotten up and fallen again. But they haven’t given up! They are so proud of themselves when they reach the outstretched arms waiting for them! What if they had given up when they fell repeatedly? What if they had refused to try walking again because it hurt when they fell?

Our older grandchildren are 6, 4, 3 and 2 – 2’s. They all enjoy running outside, which greatly pleases me. Still I find myself reminding them to “be careful”, “slow down” and other warnings that come to mind. I don’t want them to get hurt, especially when running down hill and going too fast. Recently I watched as one started down the path to the barn at a run and no sooner had I said ” SLOW DOWN” then they fell and skinned their hands and knees. I wanted to prevent their painful fall, yet it would mean denying them access to much of the world around them

As parents we want to protect our children from harm, especially from things that hurt us when we were young. Yet, we are powerless to prevent all of the possible injuries that loom in our childrens’ futures. We can encourage them to slow down and be careful about choices they make. Helping our children learn to slow down may prevent impulsive decisions which often lead to regret. Helping our children learn this at a young age will serve them well throughout their lives.

James 1:19-21 (NIV)                                                                                                                                                                    ¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

As our children get older, going too fast can be a big concern if they….

• drive too fast
• behave sexually “too fast”
• get angry too fast

The above verses encourage us to be “slow to speak”, and “slow to become angry.”  Wouldn’t our world be a better place if we ALL did that? Let’s decide to slow down and model behavior that honors our Heavenly Father and shows a positive example to our children.