Bite-Size Lessons

Today I came across a children’s book called COOKIES - Bite-Size Life Lessons — a book that uses cookies to teach virtues!

I don’t know what I would have thought if I hadn’t chosen the word "Virtues" to focus on this year, but because I did, I thought this book was written just for me.

Here’s a few examples from the book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal:

COOPERATION means “How about you add the chips while I stir?”
PATIENT means waiting and waiting for the cookies to be done. "Aren't I waiting so nicely?"
MODEST means you don’t run around telling everyone you make the best cookies, even if you do.
RESPECT means offering the very first cookie to your grandmother.
PESSIMIST means “How awful how absolutely dreadful I have only half my cookie left."
OPTIMISTIC means “This is great – I still have half my cookie left."
ENVY means “I can’t stop looking at your cookie – it looks better than my cookie. Boy, I wish it were mine."
TRUSTWORTHY means "If you ask me to hold your cookie until you come back, when you come back, I will still be holding your cookie."
COURAGE means "It was not easy for me to tell you that I took the cookie, but I took a deep breath . . .and made the words come out."
WISE means “I used to think I knew everything about cookies, but now I realize I know about one teeny chip’s worth.”

Aren't those great, simple bite-sized lessons anyone can learn?

Why, then, is it so difficult to do?

I've found that as I have pondered and tried to implement virtues more consistently in my life, the word that keeps coming to my mind is discipline. Our natural self wants to be selfish, mean, envious and lazy, and it’s hard work to do the opposite. It takes great discipline to be virtuous!

From the same root word comes discipline and disciple. And isn’t that what we are trying to do in being virtuous, to be a disciple of Christ? --To follow Him, to be like Him, so we can live with Him? For a mere mortal, it isn't easy.

Discipline is a virtue in and of itself, but without it there is no virtue at all.

That's my bite-size lesson for today.


Now I think I'll go have a cookie.



I'm trying to be like Jesus. I'm following in His way.
I'm trying to love as He loved, in all that I do and say.