When I was a teacher, I always started out parent-teacher conferences by asking the parents if they had any concerns that we needed to discuss. One such parent voiced one that I wasn’t expecting:

“I’m concerned about my daughter’s tardy,” she said.

“Her…. one tardy?” I asked, checking the girl’s report card.

Good grief. Only one tardy was an amazing report card, if you asked me. But by the look on this mom’s face, it would seem that tardiness was next to ungodliness.

“Yes,” the mother went on, gravely. “I’m wondering when that was.”

I told her I wasn’t sure. Those records were kept in the office after we sent our attendance slips each morning. But I assured her that I certainly wasn’t concerned over one tardy.

This mother did not share my sentiment. She said, “I’m worried about what they’ll say, when they see this.”

“What who will say?” I asked, truly trying to understand what the big deal was.

“Well…” The mother looked flustered as she searched for the answer. “I guess the people who look at her records one day. The people who consider her college applications.”

I’m sure I looked a bit stunned. College applications? This was fourth grade! And we’re looking at one tardy, for crying out loud! Should we move on, and discuss… say… the girl’s academic achievements?

Thankfully, I did not say what I was thinking, and I graciously assured this poor, distraught mother that colleges do not in any way, shape, or form, eliminate candidates based on one fourth grade tardy.

Now, I hope you’re laughing with me, but at the same time not laughing at this poor mother. Timeliness was her thing. It was the first place she looked on a report card. But we all have our ‘things’, don’t we?

The Lord knows (as do all of my friends and family members) that punctuality is not high on my priority list. Just last week, I said to my seventh grader, “Aww, man! You’re gonna be tardy again. Is that your fourth one? Oh, well. You’ll just have to do your homework in detention, then I’ll pick you up. No biggie.” (That is seriously what I said. Am I a terrible mother or what?? )

But, then my son knows the things that are my biggies: speaking respectfully to adults, caring for belongings, not leaving underwear on the floor, etc. You have your ‘biggies’, too. If you’re not sure what they are, ask your kids.

Here’s the thing. Our biggies, should match God’s biggies–the Big 10. Now, I have searched and searched, and cannot find ‘Thou shalt not leave your underwear on the floor’ on God’s list. So, maybe it shouldn’t be on mine. (Tardies aren’t on the list, either… hee hee!)

If you need a refresher (can you remember all ten?), check out God’s Biggies here. If you’re like me, you might need to remind yourself that God’s Biggies are bigger that your biggies. In a big way.