Grandparents Day

It was the annual Grandparent’s Day at our granddaughters’ school.
We have had the pleasure of going in previous years with our oldest granddaughter.
This year, we had two classrooms to visit.
Our granddaughters are blessed to have both sets of grandparents nearby.

Consequently, neither granddaughter was without a set of grandparents in her classroom.
We split the time in half and visited one classroom and then switched to the other.
My husband and I were to drive both girls home.
The other grandparents stopped to get pizza for all of us to have at lunch.

Since it was the elementary grandparents day, there were a lot of grandparents.
The headmaster told us that three hundred chairs were set up in the gym.
All three hundred chairs were filled.
We were in the gym to be part of their chapel service.

To watch these children sing their hearts out to the Lord was such a blessing.
Of course, every set of grandparents’ eyes were searching for their grandchild.
Upon finding them, the waving began.
It matters when you show up for a child; the look on their face says everything.

We all stood and joined in the last worship song before dismissing to our classrooms.
I admit that a lump was in my throat quite a few times.
I lifted many prayers for the children, that the truth they were singing takes root.
I prayed that they would come to Jesus in faith early in their life and walk with Him.

We went to our oldest grandchild’s first grade class.
She was so excited to see us and ran to give us one of her amazing hugs.
She escorted us to her table and showed us where she sits in the classroom.
Soon, the teacher put an aluminum tray with things inside on the center of the table.

I read the words on the top of the page: Word Doctor.
I saw the disposable blue hair nets that were also on the tray.
I saw other items that did not make sense until the teacher explained the activity.
I heard the teacher as she began her instructions.

Alright, put on your lab coats!
At that moment, all the students put on the white coat that was on the back of their chair.
Our granddaughter handed each of us a hair net, which we were instructed to wear.
At that moment, fashion and style went out the window; we had a job to do.

The instructions continued as the teacher explained what the children were learning.
Our first graders are learning contractions, she explained.
Let’s start with the first set of words, she said as she modeled what the children were to do.
Do Not, she said.

What letter do we have to cut out to make our contraction? She asked them.
I watched our granddaughter take the words on the paper and cut them out in a strip.
She then cut out the O in not.
A bag of band-aids was also on the tray.

Put a band-aid where the missing letter used to be.
Each child put the band-aid at a slant, which resembled a large apostrophe.
Do Not became Don’t with a band-aid apostrophe.
The word was glued down on the paper with the band-aid stuck down as well.

The Word Doctor, in her white lab coat, went to work on more contractions.
My husband and I did not have to do any word surgery.
However, our blue hair nets were in place, just in case.
What a clever way to teach contractions to these first graders.

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

It is fine to be a word doctor in a first grade class.
It is not fine to be a word doctor where the Word of God is concerned.
We are not to add to God’s Word nor subtract from it.
God’s Word is complete and does not need us to be an editor.

Sadly, some should be wearing white lab coats with blue hair nets.
Some find it acceptable to cut out those words in God’s Word with which they disagree.
Some find it appropriate to have a scalpel and tear apart the Word of God to suit them.
Some think it is just fine to put a band-aid on parts of God’s Word that they deem divisive.

Word Doctors for contractions is wonderfully clever and extremely helpful.
Word Doctors for God’s Word is prohibited.
How can we add to what is already complete and perfect just as it is?
God said, should be enough for us to put down our scalpel and put our hand over our mouth.