Memory Verse

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.—Psalm 119:103-104

Dear Grandchildren,

There is something that I enjoy now that I especially enjoyed when I was a young girl. The diet in our orphanage did not contain many sweet things in it. I loved things that were sweet—especially honey!

Some of the farmers who were Christians and loved the Lord were glad to send us something from their farms. They knew that they could personally help feed the children. One farmer in particular sent us lots of honey from his farm. He would bring the honey in a large container, and because he needed his container again, we had to empty the honey into many smaller containers. To get this done, the honey had to be warmed up on the stove first so that it would run more freely.

When the honey was runny it looked very much the same color as hand soap when still in the liquid stage, which we made from time to time in the orphanage. Can you guess what I’m going to tell you?

One day, as I was passing through the kitchen (our kitchen was off-limits for the girls), I happened to see honey warming in the kettle on the stove. No one seemed to be around. I went to the table, took the largest spoon that was there and scooped some of that nice-looking liquid into my mouth.

WOW!! I dashed to the sink, all the time holding the liquid in my mouth so as not to give away the evidence. I wanted to spit it right out on the floor!

Have you ever tried to rinse soap from your mouth? The bubbles kept coming out of my mouth for a long time!

The temptation to which I succumbed taught me several good lessons. First of all I was not so easily tempted to see what goes on in the kitchen. I also learned that good and bad things could look very much alike. I learned not to be greedy to the point that I would disobey orders. Most of all, I learned never to put in my mouth anything that I had not first examined. To this day, when I look at honey, I can taste soap in my mouth!

I do still like honey. Honey has never changed its taste. I now like honey for two reasons: it is good, and it taught me some valuable lessons which children from time to time need to learn. —Grandma Nadzia

Questions

1. What do you think Nadzia means when she says that sometimes good and bad things look very much alike? (See 2 Cor. 14:11)

2. When Nadzia disobeyed orders, something very unpleasant happened! Why do you think your parents make rules for you to keep? Do you think they have good reasons?

3. The Bible verse says that God’s word (the Bible) is sweeter than honey. What do you think that means? Read the verse again and tell your parents your ideas.

—Excerpted from a letter by Nadzia Jadwiga McMillan