One of These Things Does Not Belong: Psalm 51

Sesame Street had a fun and challenging segment which began with the lyrics.“One of these things is not like the other. One of these things does not belong.”  This was a fun and memorable part of the popular kid’s TV program. I would sit with my preschooler and we would reason together about which one thing did not belong and why? As an educator, I understood that my students' ability to categorize and sort information helped them to process learning in meaningful ways. This skill or lack of it affected their memory and integration of new material. Developing good categorizing skills also helped them with inferential thinking and synthesizing skills which in turn develops cognitive maturity in lifelong learning.

This week our children will have some fun playing “Which one does not belong?” This fun activity will lead the kids to reflect on their heart as King David did in Psalm 51. Our hearts are full of so many good things like care, love, compassion, empathy, honesty. Our hearts are made to hold God-like qualities.  For it is in His image we are made.  This goodness belongs in our heart.  What does not belong in our heart, what our heart cannot hold is sin.  Our clever ability to rationalize our sinful thoughts and behaviors can make it hard to see which one of them does not belong in our heart. David hid his sin. It ravaged his body. When he acknowledged his sin it restored his joy and his relationship with the Savior. Students will learn that being a child of God requires that we regularly sort out what belongs in our heart and what does not belong there. They will learn that God is a forgiving God, that “I’m sorry” are not scary words, but necessary as we allow God to create in us a pure heart. 

Just like developing good categorizing skills helps us develop cognitive maturity in lifelong learning, developing good categorizing skills within our spiritual life will develop lifelong godly maturity. Do you have some things in your heart that shouldn’t be there?  Maybe it is time for you to play the “One of These Things Does Not Belong” game. Pray for our children as they learn David’s prayer "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Jan Wahlstrom