Just three years old. And she knows all their names!
I saw a cute story recently about a little girl with a remarkable talent. Just three years old, she can name every player—and his position—on her family’s favorite professional football team, the 2014 Superbowl-winning Seattle Seahawks.
The little girl is adorable, and it’s really quite stunning to see her reel off the names of not only the stars of the team, but also those of lesser-known players in less glamorous positions.
So how can a three year old possibly know the names of the players on a professional football team? That’s where we can learn something.
Her Deputy-Sheriff Dad—a devoted football fan—began a nightly ritual with her when she was (even) younger. At bedtime—just before Daddy would go off to work—he began teaching the little princess the names of the Seahawks’ players. And as nights passed he began to quiz her on the names of the players, and their positions. It was so much fun for them both that today there’s a three year old girl with a remarkably grown-up knowledge of the names of Seattle’s pro football players.
Clearly, the mind is a marvelous thing. And even the mind of a little girl barely able to clearly articulate is capable of storing large amounts of information. Knowing the names of football players on a family’s favorite team is probably little more than cute, but imagine taking that time to teach a child the names of Bible characters. Or, better yet, Bible verses or passages.
The Bible urges us to hide God’s word in our heart (Ps 119:11). God urges parents to teach His word “to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Dt 11:19). And David said God’s law was his “meditation all the day.” (Ps 119:97).
The mind can absorb remarkable amounts of information—useless, and useful. If a three year old girl can learn the names of the players in a football team—and there are fifty three players in an NFL squad—imagine how much Bible knowledge can be absorbed by a child. Or by an adult!
What are you putting into your mind? It has been said that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. The best thing you can do for your mind is to fill it with God’s word. When you do, you’ll be blessed more than you can imagine.
