4 Out of 3 People Struggle With This

I’m sure this never happens in your house. Dinner is over. The dishes are done. And you’re finally relaxing with a good book and enjoying some needed down time, until….
 
“Mom! Dad! I need help with this math problem!”
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With a groan, you fold yourself off the couch and shuffle over to the kitchen table. Your eyes glaze over as you stare at the chicken-scratch work on your child’s math paper. Where to begin?  You look around. Nobody else is in sight to save you. You settle down in a rigid chair for a long night of (re)learning.

Even as a trained and experienced math teacher, I can relate to this experience. I have helped students solve thousands of math problems, and have spent hundreds of hours identifying where a good attempt went wrong. What’s the best strategy? Scan the problem and hope to find the error quickly? Perhaps work backward in hopes the error occurred near the end? Or start from scratch, even though that requires the most work? 

Solving math problems is a lot like discipleship. Sometimes the child’s mistake is clearly obvious and is best addressed directly. Other times the misbehavior gives insight into what they were feeling, and thus what they were thinking, and then by working backward, the heart of the matter can be addressed. Other times it requires a longer route, starting from the beginning, considering God’s original design for us or the situation, and then rebuilding what He expects of us.

Discipling our children wisely and patiently draws us into God's presence. His divine answers are found in His glorious gospel and perfect original design. Answers to math problems are often varied and complicated. Answers for the fallen condition of mankind though can be simple and straightforward, once we are properly trained by the Master teacher. 

So the next time an impromptu math help session occurs at your kitchen table, remember to integrate God's amazing and creative truths into the conversation. If anything, it may allow you to stall long enough for reinforcements to arrive!