Are You Growing Up Too Fast?

My children just blow me away. I have my baby girl (1yr) and she is so full of love and happiness. Her goony smile as I come across the room saying, “I’M GONNA A GET YOU!” Her nose scrunches up and she runs away but slow enough that she lets me catch her. Each time I ask something of her, she tries to figure out what it is and if she can do it. My youngest son (2yrs) is a little older and a strong willed. While he may try and refuse requests I give him if his cartoons are on he waits patiently while I get him things that he wants. Even in his frustrations trying to attain the vocabulary to say what he wants he has no problem relying on my entirely. My middle son (5yrs) has a massive creativity he is always making something and then wanting to show me. He desperately wants to read so he can do it himself, but is overjoyed each night when I read to him. He listen patiently and stays quiet as to not miss a word. My oldest son (12yrs) is in the middle of trying to take the training wheels off. Trying to understand the world he leaves the house each day with goals and desires and tries to learn how to attain them. He doesn’t like my help. He wants to do it all on his own. He wants to be independent and self-sufficient, and though he grunts and groans when we cover life lessons he does his best to learn and abide. God wants us to be like children. He wants to provide us all we need. God doesn’t want us to get caught up in the world and become self-sufficient. It’s not because he wants total dominion over you. Its because he loves you. He WANTS to provide for you.  He also knows that the more “self-sufficient” we are the more self-centered we become. He knows the world works best when we look past our desires and take care of each others needs. He wants us to love like a child, undoubting and unending. We spend our whole life wanting to “grow up” and God has no problem with that, for as grown-ups we can achieve wonderful things for the world and each other but he wants us to stay children at heart. He wants us to look past differences and love one another. He wants us looking up to him for answers instead of trying to look for them on our own. Many times I get frustrated when my children try to figure things out on their own. They make mistakes and encounter pain. I know this is natural but like God, I know that if they would come to me for wisdom I could steer them clear of pain and solve their problems. One of God’s commandants is to honor thy father and mother, and this is for reason. And as God is our great father we could all do best by looking up to him with love for answers. He has them all and he loves us unending.

Matthew 18:1-5, 10

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 10"See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.