The Power of the Obvious

I’m noticing lately that so much of parenting is saying obvious things.

“Don’t put that screwdriver in your mouth.”

“Do not pull that bookshelf down on yourself.”

“Please don’t rub poop in your hair, buddy.”

Half the time I’m talking to my kids I’m thinking, “I can’t believe I’m actually saying this out loud.” But hey—children need to be told that stuff, right?

It dawned on me recently, though, that we never really grow out of needing to be reminded of the obvious.

I know this because of what I do for a living.

I don’t mean to ruin the surprise, but I’ll just go ahead and tell you: 75% of preaching is saying things almost as obvious as “Don’t run with scissors in your mouth.”

Love God. Be a good spouse. Treat people kindly. Read your Bible. Don’t give in to temptation. Pray. …Not exactly mind-blowingly revelatory.

The thing is, though, that’s okay. So often, we need to be reminded of the obvious. Even as adults, we need to be challenged to, in light of the consequences, do the only thing that makes sense.

I suppose that’s why I’ve heard it said that great communicators are “masters of the obvious.” They’re able to take something that’s almost self-evident and package it in a way that not only compels attention, but compels implementation.

Which is important, because somebody’s got to stop people from rubbing poop in their hair, right?