We are like extra-large babies. I visualize a toddler, fascinated and over-confident in his new walking abilities. The parent and the toddler appear to be going down the road. The father is carrying the young child but determinedly the child squirms and pushes himself out of his parent's grasp, slides down to the ground, and then takes off in a speed ahead of him.
"Wait!" the parents calls out, knowing at any moment traffic can come speeding round the corner. But on rushes the infant, deaf to the safety calls of his guardian.
As if on cue, with a deafening roar, a rider on motor bike races toward them, frightening the not-so-brave-any-more child, back to the arms of his loving parent.
We are like that. We sometimes have the idea that we want to go somewhere. Or we hear God say that we will be going somewhere. Without waiting for directions, or even misunderstanding directions, if any, we take off, ahead of our Father. And God, who is ahead of time and knows what's around the corner, stretches out his hand to guide us. But we wriggle out of his loving arms to strike out on our own. It isn't that our Father is not going to put us down to walk part of the journey, but knowing the road ahead of time he is selective in where he should do just that.
This morning I read Chapter 4 of Never Alone by Joseph F. Girzone even while I was visualizing the above illustration and I am amazed by the different media by which God is helping me to understand the relationship (intimacy) for which I have been crying out with him.
It's like the story of the prodigal son and how it helps us to see Our Father giving to us lavishly. We are all prodigal children who have spent on ourselves most of what our Heavenly Father has so generously given to us.
We have spent our gift of salvation on ourselves. We have had our social Sunday morning parties in our church pews. The music got better and better. We had fun and sought more and more ways to make the party more enjoyable. We spent all our financial blessings on feeling good. Like gluttons we have eaten so much spiritual food without caring much for the needy outside. We have wasted our talents when we could have invested them in the Kingdom. When we feel empty, hurting and lost we come crawling back to him. Luckily, God is always glad to see us coming back from the distance and he reaches out to greet and welcome us.
From my journal of 9th October 2010
"Wait!" the parents calls out, knowing at any moment traffic can come speeding round the corner. But on rushes the infant, deaf to the safety calls of his guardian.
As if on cue, with a deafening roar, a rider on motor bike races toward them, frightening the not-so-brave-any-more child, back to the arms of his loving parent.
We are like that. We sometimes have the idea that we want to go somewhere. Or we hear God say that we will be going somewhere. Without waiting for directions, or even misunderstanding directions, if any, we take off, ahead of our Father. And God, who is ahead of time and knows what's around the corner, stretches out his hand to guide us. But we wriggle out of his loving arms to strike out on our own. It isn't that our Father is not going to put us down to walk part of the journey, but knowing the road ahead of time he is selective in where he should do just that.
This morning I read Chapter 4 of Never Alone by Joseph F. Girzone even while I was visualizing the above illustration and I am amazed by the different media by which God is helping me to understand the relationship (intimacy) for which I have been crying out with him.
It's like the story of the prodigal son and how it helps us to see Our Father giving to us lavishly. We are all prodigal children who have spent on ourselves most of what our Heavenly Father has so generously given to us.
We have spent our gift of salvation on ourselves. We have had our social Sunday morning parties in our church pews. The music got better and better. We had fun and sought more and more ways to make the party more enjoyable. We spent all our financial blessings on feeling good. Like gluttons we have eaten so much spiritual food without caring much for the needy outside. We have wasted our talents when we could have invested them in the Kingdom. When we feel empty, hurting and lost we come crawling back to him. Luckily, God is always glad to see us coming back from the distance and he reaches out to greet and welcome us.
From my journal of 9th October 2010
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