Articles
Be Careful!
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Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Prov. 4:23)
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I have no idea who wrote it (and Google was no help), but the children's song "Be Careful Little Eyes" has a wonderful message that all children need to learn--and us older folks, too. Consider the first line of each verse:
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see , , ,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear . . .
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say . . .
Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do . . .
Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go . . .
The lesson is obvious: We have to be careful about everything we do in life. The last line of each verse gives the reason for this caution: "There's a Father up above, and He's looking down in love . . ." That is, God sees every detail of our lives and will judge accordingly.
It occurs to me, however, that the song is missing an important component: There should be another verse that goes, "Be careful little minds what you think . . ." Perhaps the original author thought that might be too abstract for kids. Or maybe it was in the original, and later editors dropped it for the same reason. Whatever the history, it's a concept to which children should be introduced early in life.
Everything we do in life springs from the desires of the heart. The thief steals because he covets in his heart. The grumbler complains because of envy in his heart. The unfaithful spouse cheats because of lust in his heart. The liar deceives because of fear in his heart. Conversely, the good Samaritan goes out of his way to help someone in need because of compassion in his heart. The frazzled mother keeps on sacrificing for her children because of the love in her heart. The martyr clings firmly to his convictions in the face of death because of the faith in his heart.
Good or bad, we are all what we are because of what we first choose to be in our minds. We need to train our eyes, ears, tongues, feet, etc., to do the right thing, of course. But that training regimen starts in the heart, where our ultimate destination is set.
Be careful little minds what you think . . . and the rest will be easy.
(For the record, I did locate one online version of the song that includes this additional verse. Look up the Cedarmont Kids version on songlyrics.com. Good for them.)
--David
