I’m blessed to have a number of friends and family with children. Some of our close friends have very young (2+ yrs old) children, and my godson is about that age as well.
I can’t describe how wonderful it is to watch children.
You see a child and they are utterly reliant upon their parents. They look to them as they play, gaining confidence from encouragement. They investigate everything. EVERYTHING! They are trying to figure things out. They toddle about precariously, and their parents are there to catch them, or to pick them up when they fall; to kiss the “ouches” and “ows” good-bye.
Children also look at their parents in mischief. Just the other day, I saw a child running away with their father’s hat, about to throw it into the water. The father said “Don’t you do that, or I’ll be very angry.” The toddler looked back, torn between obedience and the excitement over seeing what would happen to daddy’s hat if it floated away.
There are few things in life more beautiful than watching a child run to their parent(s) for comfort. They get scared by an animal; they find something which unsettles them; they get injured; their feelings are hurt. When these things happen, they run to mommy or daddy. And their parents have open arms, hugs, and kisses. And after this comfort, they immediately rush into the fray again, ready to confront any fear, danger, or new experience.
I can’t help but think of God and His relationship to us. We are utterly reliant upon God for everything–our food, our rain, our lives, our very existence. Yes, many of these things are provided through means, but ultimately they are from God.
Yet we are like children–we do things just to see if we can get away with them. We mess with “daddy’s things”–the wealth we have been blessed with in countries like the U.S.; our free time; our free will–and see if God’s looking.
Yet ultimately, we are like children in another way. Without God, without our parent, we are lost. We have none to look to for guidance, and we realize that need. It brings to mind something Jesus said,
Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (Luke 18:17, NIV)
What is it to “receive the Kingdom of God like a little child? I think it is exactly what it sounds like: to realize that we are utterly reliant upon God. To go running to God in our needs. To realize that with God, we can do anything.
SDG.
——
The preceding post is the property of J.W. Wartick (apart from citations, which are the property of their respective owners) and should not be reproduced in part or in whole without the expressed consent of the author. All content on this site is the property of J.W. Wartick and is made available for individual and personal usage. If you cite from these documents, whether for personal or professional purposes, please give appropriate citation with both the name of the author (J.W. Wartick) and a link to the original URL. This blog is protected by Creative Commons licensing. By viewing any part of this site, you are agreeing to this usage policy.
Eclectic Theist 