No Practical Application of Learning and Faith
An old fable states that a man once went to the store to buy a chainsaw. He took it home and cut wood with it all day. Exhausted, the next day he returned to the store. Entirely disappointed, he complained to the manager that the saw didn’t work. “I can’t cut any faster with the saw than with an ax,” he said.
The store manager said he would investigate, and he began by starting up the engine while the owner was there in the store. The owner was startled at the sound and said, “What’s that noise?”
The owner had bought a chainsaw, but had not bothered to read and follow the instructions about how to start the engine, so he had tried to cut wood with a chainsaw that wasn’t running. Impossibly difficult.
Faith is Demonstrated by Action
Many parents read the principles of Real Love, but then they don’t practically apply them in any way, so they wonder why nothing changes in their family.
Having a chain saw that doesn’t run is quite ineffective, much like owning a bicycle you don’t learn to ride. In order for the principles of Real Love to make a difference, you have to LIVE them, not just read about them and hope for the best.
We can all learn to apply Real Love in practical situations with our children. In the beginning, change is unfamiliar, sometimes more difficult, but using these principles—a running saw—makes life far more fulfilling and effective, just as a chainsaw works better when it’s properly used.
