I sure hope you are enjoying this read through of Too Small to Ignore. This week, I have three guests who will be discussing their thoughts with us on Chapters 3, 4, and 5. I would love to have others step forward to write about Chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9. If you are interested, email me at fiddlejill(at)yahoo(dot)com or let me know in the comments.
Now on to Chapter 3.....
IT REALLY DOES TAKE A VILLAGE
Hi, I'm Gin! I read Too Small To Ignore the year it came out and am excited to participate in reading it again.
As a new mom, I can certainly relate to the message Wess shares in Chapter 3, 'It really does take a village.' My sweet boy will be six months old in just a couple days and as he grows and is able to comprehend what is going on, my husband and I are finding ourselves analyzing our environment more and more. We are working on defining the line between allowing him to know and play around society, yet also sheltering him from things we deem toxic and unhealthy. We have strong feelings on many things that our friends could care less about. Does that mean we don't allow him to play with their children? Of course not... but at what point and what cost? This chapter brought a lot of discussion for us as I re-read the book, this time as a mother.
Growing up in Africa, Wess was surrounded by a culture different from what his parents and their missionary friends grew up knowing. I think we often try to teach our children things and struggle with keeping the message when society doesn't always see it our way (which is the right way of course! :)) My favorite example is on page 57 when Wess walks up on a missionary wife as she nurses her baby. She scolds him for seeing her and tells him to run along. He comments that he didn't know anything different because African mothers nurse their babies in front of anyone and everyone. What I find most interesting about this situation is that typically, missionaries try to do as much as they can to blend in with the people with whom they live so they will be respected and are better able to share the Gospel and teach. Why then, would a mother who is in the company of many women who nurse openly, decide she should hide? Wess said that there were a different set of rules for white mothers. I would love to ask him more about how this worked. How did the children know which rules applied to which group? How did the children know that there were different rules?
Wrapping up chapter 3, on page 65 Wess discussed children being in church and how he loved that it exposed them to their parents deep in prayer. What a beautiful way to teach children about serving and worshiping the Lord? To see their parents in church on Sunday, on their knees, deep in prayer with the One who loves them most... with an almost six month old, I loved that he also mentions a child's piercing cry. Thankfully that hasn't happened to us yet, but I don't plan to put Oliver in the nursery. Partly because we've not been to a single church long enough for comfort in leaving him, and partly because I want him to be with us as we hear the Word and be part of Christian fellowship.
What are your thoughts on Chapter 3?
BOOK GIVEAWAY....
**Are you missing out on this discussion because you don't have a copy of Too Small to Ignore? Gin has a copy to give away. If you'd like it, simply leave a comment here telling me you'd like the book and I'll draw one name for it on Wednesday at noon EST. Be sure to come back and see if you've won. Thanks Gin!
