Like a Beloved Child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:1-4

Laughing with his Aunt Rachel

Seeing Finn smile & laugh at Jeremy and me is one of the best things there is. I love watching him lock eyes with us, slowly start smiling and then break out into a huge toothless grin. And, oh my goodness, when he laughs my heart is overwhelmed with joy!

Sidenote: the first time I heard Finn cackle was when we were watching a "60 Minutes" interview with the Facebook guy. For some reason that interview made him crack up for several minutes. I think it was the bright red lipstick the interviewer was wearing.

Ok, back on track...

The Lord has again revealed another truth through my child.

On his own, Finn is completely helpless and cannot do anything for us. He can't help out around the house. He can't talk to us. He can't feed himself. He can't walk. He can't pay any bills. He can't get dressed. He can't defend himself. He can't take a bath. He can't even sit up or roll over. Left to his own resources, he would not survive. He would die.

However, he's not left on his own.

He has a father and mother who love him dearly that he depends on for all his needs. We do not expect nor do we mind that he can't do anything on his own. His open vulnerability and helplessness shows us that he is in need and we know that we can provide these things. All he has to do is receive them from us.

When he's hungry, we feed him.
When he needs comforting, we comfort him.
When he's tired, we give him rest.
When he needs cleansing, we bathe him.
When he needs fresh clothes, we clothe them.
When he needs to be somewhere, we provide the way.

All he has to do is let us.
And it blesses us when he responds to us and allows us to take care of him. 

This mirrors how it is with ourselves and our Father. We can do nothing of ourselves that would add or benefit Him. Left on our own, we would not survive. We are considered dead. (Col. 2:19)

But we also are not left on our own. 

We are like a precious baby whom the Father literally loves to death. He doesn't ask us to do or perform in order to be in right relationship to Him because He already has provided everything we need for life and relationship. (2 Peter 1:3, Phil. 4:19) We are to just humble ourselves and realize we are in need of Him. Then, respond to His works in us and receive that which He wants to impart.

When we're hungry, He'll feed us. (Matthew 5:6, Psalm 145:15-16)
When we need comforting, He'll comfort us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
When we're tired, He'll give us rest. (Psalm 62:1, 5)
When we need cleansing, He'll bathe us. (Hebrews 10:19-22, Ephesians 5:25-27)
When we need fresh cloths, He'll clothe us. (Isaiah 61:10)
When we need to be somewhere, He'll provide the way. (Psalm 32:8)

As we know, babies do not stay babies forever. They grow and learn to talk, walk, feed themselves, etc. This is the natural, good progression of life and will be exciting to watch Finn become more and more the boy he's made to be.

As we, too, grow in the Lord, we will begin increasing in love, patience, serving, praying, giving, self-control, etc. But it will not be because we are trying to do or earn favor with our Father. It will be because we are becoming more like the life of Jesus placed inside us and we will naturally and freely progress, all the while remembering to be like a child utterly dependent on their Father for everything.

Aren't the ways of God good?