Friday April 29, 2011 - What will you be when you grow up?

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 

Dear friends, now we are children of God, 

and what we will be has not yet been made known. 

But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 

1 John 3:2-3

     About a month after I had Julie I realized I had accomplished the life goals I had set for myself as a ninth grader:

1) graduate high school with a certain g.p.a.;

2) go to college and graduate with a certain g.p.a.;

3) marry at 21; and, 

4) have a baby. 

Don't  judge me. I was 14 and didn't know how to make long-term goals but I must have taken these seriously because each one came true. Let me clarify Goal #2 because it sounds a little like the makings of a Lifetime Movie: My mom married at 16 so my goal of waiting until I was 21 seemed noble and almost sacrificial at the time I made it. I did not make plans to turn 21 and grab the next guy I met and marry him. Ironically, I did marry at 21 with the minimum requirements for a college degree. Then we waited five years to have our first baby, Julie. 

     I'm proud of Julie for thinking past the nursery about Adalyn Faith. Julie's long-term goal of being a mother/teacher has led her to collect books and make plans to homeschool her children. She's studying different methods to formulate plans for Addy's development during and far beyond the first few months. 

     Bringing up babies involves finding a difficult balance between: 

*molding their characters without inhibiting their personalities; 

*shaping their values without enforcing creeds; 

*teaching them to obey but to think for themselves; 

*disciplining them to become self-disciplined while encouraging their creativity; 

*guarding them from the world while helping them live in it; 

*helping them mature without hammering out their spirit; and, among many other lessons, 

*guiding them to be confident but leading them to trust God for everything.

     "Spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next. If we are only certain in our beliefs, we get dignified and severe and have the ban of finality about our views; but when we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. " (Oswald Chambers)
    Father, Abba, You're constantly bringing us up in the way we should go. You've put individuality, personality, and creativity in us and You know best how to mold and shape each of us to become our best in You. Don't let us mistake maturity for morbidness; Christianity for rituals; relationship with You for a dull life. Forgive us for stifling Your creativity in us and for blocking Your work. Show us how to be the joyful, trusting, expectant children of our Loving Father. Help us free You to mold us into delightful likenesses of You.  May our joy and spontaneous faith grow as we follow You step by step. 
In the Name of Jesus, the firstborn Son Who came to shake up the fuddy-duddies! 
Inspired by My Utmost for His Highest
photo from photobucket.com