Posts Tagged ‘children’

Recipe for Freedom

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Several playgrounds are located in the city park near our home. On sunny days they resemble human anthills. It’s interesting to watch these little people as they explore life. Some tots, depending on their personalities, are content to let their parents or caregivers hold their hands as they walk from toy to toy. Others resist, tugging and protesting until they manage to jerk free and run away. Some listen and obey when the caregivers tell them to stop; others don’t.

What happens? They may dash toward a swingset without realizing the possibility of being knocked by a swing already in motion, or they might dart towards the sidewalk, into the path of an oncoming bicyclist or rollerblader. They want to experience freedom, so they disregard their caregivers’ counsel and pay painful consequences.

These little people remind me of big people…

“Hold My hand,” says the heavenly Father.

“But I want to go a different direction,” we argue.

“Trust Me,” He says.

“But I don’t want to go where You’re leading!” We tug and protest until we manage to yank loose of the Father’s hand. Then we run where we please, thinking we’re experiencing freedom at its finest. That approach to life seldom works.

True freedom is found in obedience to God and His Word. We experience it when we trust His care and plan for our lives, recognizing that He knows best. “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found…I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments” says Psalm 119:35, 45.

Want freedom? The recipe’s guaranteed – tuck your hand into the Father’s and stay close to His side.

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Shepherd’s Staff — 2

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

I just read the comment about yesterday’s blog. For anyone not sure about what their “shepherd’s staff” might be, I’d say, “Ask the Lord to show you.” He wants your active participation in building His kingdom, so He would be delighted to show you how to partner with Him.

For mothers of little ones, their staff might be a child’s toy. Their ministry is to their children, to pray for them and raise them as best they can to follow Jesus. Spending time with them, developing relationships with them…that’s the task at hand.

For mothers with teenagers, the staff might be a steering wheel. Moms spend a lot of time driving their kids to and from extracurriculars, and some of the best conversations take place in the car. Again, building relationships with the kids is the most important task at hand during that season of life.

This is a great talking point. Send more comments and let’s see where it goes!

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Abe’s Attitude

Friday, January 9th, 2009

Abraham’s life is soooo inspirational to me. He was nowhere near perfect, but his heart, overall, was bent on knowing God.

This morning as I read in Genesis 22, I saw two verses that I’ve not noticed before. That chapter is about Abraham’s infamous test of obedience. He comes through that experience with flying colors. And then he hits a wall. Verse 20 says, “Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons. Verse 24 says, “In addition to his eight sons from Milcah, Nahor had four other children from his concubine.”

Why are these verses included? What’s the point anyway? Here’s my thought:

Abraham’s life had not been an easy one. He’d trusted God when He told him to leave everything familiar and go to a strange country. He’d trusted God for a promised son even though it meant more than 20 years of waiting. He’d taken a detour when he slept with Hagar, and later felt the pain of sending her and Ishmael into the wilderness to keep peace with Sarah. Most recently, Abraham had just come through the most challenging experience of his life, when God asked him to be willing to sacrifice Isaac. His actions had proved his faith in God and marked a huge spiritual victory. And then comes verse 20.

“Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah , his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons.” Add the concubine’s four kids, and the brother has 12 offspring.

How did Abraham feel when he heard that news? He’d been faithful to God, willing to obey to the nth degree, and yet he had only one son by Sarah. Nahor had eight sons by his his wife. I wonder if Abraham compared his situation with Nahor’s and felt a twinge of jealousy. Maybe hearing this news, shortly after his spiritual high, bred some questions: “God, this isn’t fair. I’ve done so much on Your behalf, and yet You’ve blessed my brother more than me. What’s with that?”

It’s common to hit a wall after a spiritual victory. Sometimes we hear of someone else’s blessings and, with a twinge of jealousy, we compare our situation to theirs. Perhaps our faith journey has been more trying than theirs. It seems as though theirs is a stroll down Easy Street while ours is an ongoing trudge through Deep Valley. One glimpse at their situation tells us that they appear more blessed even though we’ve gone through tougher stuff. “What’s with that? It’s not fair, God.”

Yes, I wonder how Abraham felt. Scripture doesn’t tell us, but I have a hunch that he may have struggled a bit. After all, he was human like me and you. I can identify because I’ve struggled with comparison, too.

In the end, though, we have to trust that God knows what He’s doing. He sees the big picture. He’s just and righteous and makes no mistakes.

“God, please keep my (our) eyes on You. Make me aware if I begin comparing my situation with others. Give me a heart that rejoices when others are blessed, and help me trust You for every detail of my life. Amen.”

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