"I Misread the Instructions"

(Friday, April 30, 2010) “I Misread the Instructions”

This has been a good week. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. I walk twice a day and although the walks are tiring, I “recover” from the walks pretty quickly.

Tuesday night Patra will drive me to my Men’s Bible Study since it is the last night of this year’s study. The Bible study started 11 years ago and this was my 10th year having the privilege of serving as the Teaching Director. We meet once a week for 30 weeks, basically following a school calendar. I had to step down after my diagnosis and treatment began. The study continued without missing a beat. I am really proud of all of the men who stepped up and filled in. Several men have told me how meaningful this year’s study was for them. I can’t wait to see them. The men have been very faithful to lift me up in prayer and I know that my spirit will be lifted up by being with them for a little while.

I am also looking forward to the day I can attend church and my Bible study class at church. Fortunately they don’t have a “year end,” so I have some time to keep getting stronger before I make that trip.

My next 3 posts involve “incidents” from each of my children’s lives which have taught me lessons about reading.

Jenny’s story occurred on her first day of first grade. The plan was for me to be home early that day to take care of the children so Patra could attend a class. I got tied up at work so Patra dropped Jenny, Emily and Adam off at my parents’ house.
It was late when I arrived to pick them up.

When we were in the car, I asked Jenny about her first day and whether she had any homework. She said she did.

Since it was now bed time, I told Jenny that as soon as we got home, I would put Emily and Adam to bed and then I would help her complete her homework.

[What occurred next was entirely predictable recognizing my psychological make up. My brother and I have often wondered how our parents, neither of whom completed high school, instilled such a high regard in us for education, including making sure that homework assignments were timely completed.]

Jenny informed me that her homework assignment was written on a note from her teacher. As we entered the house I quickly grabbed the note and read the assignment. I put Emily and Adam to bed and went to my chair and called for Jenny to bring me “Book A” because her assignment was to read “Book A.”

Things did not go smoothly.

“Jenny, please read the book.”

“It’s my first day of school. I don’t know how to read.”

“Sound out the words, but hurry, we have to read this book tonight.”

“I’m tired. I want to go to bed.”

“My daughter is not going to be behind the first day of school.” “Read.”

After much anguish and many tears, I did what any American dad in my position would have done.

“OK, Jenny, you can go to bed, but your mother will get you up early so you can finish reading Book A. You are not going to be behind when you go to school.”

When Patra came home she asked me if I had seen Book A. “Have I seen Book A? I am very familiar with Book A.” As I turned in the chair to answer her question, it all came together. In her hand, Patra was holding a book cover. The note from the teacher had said “Cover Book A.” The assignment was to put a book cover on Book A. I had interpreted “cover book A” as an instruction to read the book. After all, if I had been told to “cover a hearing” for another lawyer, it would mean totally handle the hearing.

Jenny and I had completed about 6 weeks worth of “homework.”

There was some good that came out of my misreading the instructions. To this day she has never asked me to help her with homework.

We are often guilty of “misreading.” It is more likely to occur when we are tired or frustrated or preoccupied with other thoughts while reading. I do not think I would have made this error if I had not been running late, frustrated by the demands of the day, not wanting to be embarrassed by my daughter being behind in her work. Sometimes we read without thinking. (No thinking person would have thought a teacher would assign an entire book (although it was a short book) on the first day of first grade?)

Particularly are these issues true when reading the Bible. We come looking for confirmation of our positions or opinions instead of seeking direction, inspiration or instruction. That may be part of the reason that people with diametrically opposed opinions on issues will each claim Biblical support for their position.

As I have had some additional time lately to read my Bible, I have intentionally tried to approach my study with an open mind – What is being said? What am I to learn from this passage? Is there something I need to change in my life because of the teaching of His Word? I’m trying to put the demands and concerns of the day out of my mind and I’m trying to think about what I’m reading.

Years after Jenny and I had our encounter with “Book A,” I told that story during a speech to a group of lawyers. I explained that fortunately I had not permanently damaged Jenny’s education as she had obtained a degree in Business Management from Auburn. One of the lawyers in the back of the room spoke up and in a rich southern drawl said “if you hadn’t messed her up, she might have gone to a good school and gotten a good education. Roll Tide!”

Bob