I talked a lot about Visiting Teaching in recent posts. We also have a program called “Home Teaching” where the men are paired up to visit families and bring them a spiritual message.
We had a great home teacher who really got into his lessons, making sure to include the children as much as possible. One Sunday he walked through our door carrying a big jug of vinegar. He asked our oldest son who was about 6 at the time, “Do you want to taste this?” He nodded. Brother B. had him dip his finger in it and touch his tongue. “Is that good?” “Uh huh.” “Would you like to drink a whole glass of it?” “No.”
He went into our kitchen where he took three cups, pouring vinegar in two cups and water in another. He said, “I have three cups here. One of them has water and two of them have vinegar. Your parents know which one has the water and they will tell you which one to drink. Whichever one you pick up, you have to drink it and you can’t smell it first.”
The water was in a green sippy cup, but he wanted the blue one – his favorite color. He started to go for the blue. We said, “Drink the green one. It has the water in it.” He continued to pick up the blue. Brother B. said, “Remember, your parents know which one has the water. You have to drink the one you pick up.”
Despite our efforts to help him choose the right cup, our son took a big swig of vinegar and swallowed it, looking like he was going to cry and vomit at once. As we fought laughter, we yelled, “DRINK THE WATER!” He had no doubt at this point that the green one was the correct choice.
Brother B. never expected his object lesson to go the way it did, but we all agreed that it would make a lasting impression. He told our son, “Your parents know what’s best for you and which things in your life are like vinegar. For instance, playing too much Xbox could be like vinegar and when they limit how much you play, they do it because they love you.”
Since then, the vinegar lesson has been a good reminder when he doubts our parental judgement. And just as we know what is best for our children, our Heavenly Father knows what’s best for us.
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