It was never about the hat

For the past 2 years i have constantly told my son Herb to take off his hat when he enters a building....out of respect.

But he fails to understand why i need for him to do this, and really he doesn't do it unless i harp on him or he knows i am looking.

But

Its what we do when nobody is looking that is our true character

I had a young man in my house this weekend a friend of my sons who i don't know too well, but he always seems polite and i don't mind him. Well when i gave out ice cream bars to everyone he stopped to pray before he ate it. When asked why, he told my son because my parents say you should always give thanks for the food you are about to eat..even an ice cream bar.

Nobody made him. Nobody was here to remind him. Nobody would have told his parents if he had chose not to say prayer. 

He did this because he is an obedient son.

I pointed this out to my son in what seemed like the umpteenth argument about why we don't wear hats inside, that i don't care if he really doesn't understand the"why" but what i do care about is that he doesn't understand the concept of obedience. 

If you are willing to disobey in the small things, its more than easy to disobey in the large things.

I have caught him oh so many many times wearing his hat when I'm not there, seen it in pictures and watched him whisk it off just as i pull into eyesight.

But its not my eyes he needs to be worried about.

And it has never REALLY been about the hat.

Its been a really really long test that he continues to fail because like most of us being obedient actually does not come naturally, its a process that requires more than just our mind it requires our heart.

If  he cant take his hat off out of respect then at least take it off because your MOTHER has asked you too.

Your mother who loves you cares for you fights for you lives for you and has never steered you wrong has ASKED you too.

"True obedience is true freedom.”

How can i give rights, give trust, give freedom if at the most basic levels the smallest requests i am being snow blown,.

Truth is i cant and i wont.

I think that finally after all these years he understands it was never really about the hat

s.o.t.d.
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
(Proverbs 6:20 ESV)