Deep Thoughts from a...Nursery Rhyme???

One of the "treasures" that we've been enjoying during Learning Time is Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose book. Most of the rhymes are silly...like "Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon..." They're still lots of fun and educational, too, as it introduces children to rhyme and rhythm and the beauty of language. But I don't often expect to be inspired or challenged or think lofty thoughts as I read them.

Today, however, we read this (a new nursery rhyme to me):

For want of a nail,
The shoe was lost;
For want of the shoe,
The horse was lost;
For want of the horse,
The rider was lost;
For want of the rider,
The battle was lost;
For want of the battle,
The kingdom was lost,
And all for the want
Of a horseshoe nail.

That is actually quite profound, and it sparked a good conversation with Josiah about how the little things in life can make such a big difference--and how important it is to choose well and live righteously, even in the little things.

Just prior to our reading this, we had read the story of Noah building the ark which was a PERFECT example of obedience even in the little things, even when it doesn't make sense, even when people laugh at you, even when you fail to see the significance of what God (or your mother!) is asking you to do. The Bible tells us several times that Noah did EXACTLY what God asked him to do. Oh, to have the heart to "trust and obey" so simply!