Don’t be afraid to be basic! Life lesson from Dr. Seuss’ book HOP ON POP!
“Sometimes the questions are difficult but the answers are simple.” Dr. Seuss
HOP ON POP is a book that encourages early readers to read alone. It’s a simple book that includes rhyming in a fun and colorful easy to read way. So, why would I ask you to read a book that was written for early readers? Good question. Thanks for asking! Don’t be fooled. HOP ON POP is not so easy that it fails to teach us a powerful lesson about the importance of the basics in life.
There are times in all of our lives when we want to throw in the towel. We want to give up when we hit a plateau in our weightloss, our mental health begins to spiral down, the career we have given everything to has taken a turn for the worse, our family is facing challenging times and most importantly our relationship with God is drifting. What do we do when we feel moving forward is not possible but we don’t want to make giving up an option? We press on by going back to the basics. We go back to what helped us get started in the first place.
In Junior High I was taking a math class. I was really struggling with the concept of Integers. A concept that now is no problem at all. However, during this class I hit a point where I could not go forward until I grasp the concept of integers. I remembered in Elementary school that my math teacher in 1st grade would teach us songs that helped us understand basic math concepts. I decided to go on youtube and research songs about integers. I found one. It worked! I was suddenly able to make this math concept make sense in my head. Had I not went back to a basic idea learned in the 1st grade I might have never been able to move forward in the class. Some of my Junior High classmates laughed at the idea when I sang one of the songs in class. However, during a test later that week I watched as one sang the song under their breath and another seemed to be moving to the sound in his head during the test.
For those dying to know, here is the link to the integer song! I did not write this song! https://youtu.be/hz_ndxvJzws
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Keep this verse in mind when you struggle. No matter how difficult your struggle know that with His strength you can accomplish so much. What area of your life do you feel you are struggling to move forward in? In what way can you go back to the basics? Don’t give up but instead make a list of what helped you get started in the first place and go back to that. I struggle with anxiety. I noticed that I have times that are really good for me and times when I struggle a little more. I’ve learned that when I am in a season of anxiousness I have to go back to when it all begin. I go back to the small steps I first took. Those basics for me are slowing down in life, trusting God more, looking at my diet and how what I’m eating is affecting my anxiety, making a list of all the good in my life and there have been times when calling my doctor was needed. What are the basics for you? Maybe you have found yourself at a stopping point and you can’t move forward. When life becomes overwhelming simply break it down into small basic steps. Don’t be afraid to be basic!
Shine4Him 