It was the first week of school, and Jennifer, a kindergartner, wouldn't let go of her teacher. Unlike children inclined to cling, Jennifer was not shy or afraid of the other children. "Why?" the teacher asked at the end of the week. "Jennifer, why do you want to hold on to me all the time?"
"I don't want to be unbehaving," Jennifer readily explained. "I had a guinea pig who was unbehaving, and I don't want to be unbehaving."
On the surface, Jennifer's method to ensure correct behavior might seem just right. Certainly the motive was correct. But the teacher knew the child needed to let go. In kindergarten terms she pointed out a basic truth. Each individual has the right and the ability— actually, the necessity—to practice what is being taught. The teacher may set an example. But even then the pupils follow; they don't mimic. They observe, think, and act on the fundamental truths they are taught. They don't cling to the teacher—or even to the teaching—without taking action themselves. The master Teacher of Christianity, Christ Jesus, said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." John 14:12.
