Toddler Maturity

"Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

The LORD, the LORD Himself, 

is my strength and my defense,

He has become my salvation.

With joy you will draw water 

from the wells of salvation."

Isaiah 12:2-3

When I kept Addy a few weeks ago, we walked to a nearby field on pretty days to play with balls and bubbles.  One day, as we made the trek, we heard a dog barking behind a nearby fence. We were commenting on the sound puppy dogs make when the dog suddenly snarled viciously at us through the fence. Addy's eyes widened as she turned to bury her head in me and hold up her arms to be held. My protective instincts had kicked in so I met her half-way, leaning down to pick her up and get her away from there, fence or no fence. It was so beautifully  choreographed - her reaching up for protection and me reaching down to protect.  We made it to the field, enjoyed our time together, and forgot about the snarling dog.  

Addy, ready to make the trek
 to the field where we played.

Addy knew where to turn and she did. She took her eyes off the danger and buried her little body into the safety of mine. She didn't have far to go since we were already holding hands.

Robin, learn from your toddler granddaughter!  

1) Stick with God and He'll take you to some great places where you can enjoy His company and attention.

2) Hold His hand so you're walking as closely in step with Him as possible, and learn to trust Him.

3) Hold His hand so when danger crashes in on the scene, you can turn your eyes into His Presence and away from the danger.

4) Understand He is always alert and reaching down to carry you through the danger. 

5) Move on with God, sing and play, and don't let snarling dogs ruin the day.

"Surely You have granted him unending blessings

    and made him glad with the joy of Your presence."

Psalm 21:6

Father, forgive us for our fascination with danger, sin, borders, edges, cliffs, snakes and snarling dogs. Give us the faith of a toddler who is smart enough to recognize danger and turn to safety. May we see and hear the menace and run to You.  Train us to keep our eyes on You rather than facing threats on our own. Help us stay in step with You daily so we learn to trust Your heart and know You're more than ready, beyond able, and lovingly willing to grab us up into Your mighty and safe arms - whether we're in danger or just for the joy of our relationship!

In the Name of Jesus Who said, "Abide in Me" 

"I am the Vine, you are the branches.  When you're joined with me and i with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.  Separated, you can't produce a thing.  Anyone who separates from Me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with Me and My words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.  This is how my Father shows who He is--when you produce grapes, when you mature as My disciples." John 15:5-8 (The Message)

Saturday, September 3, 2011 - Why Be Captivated?

"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer --- may her breasts satisfy you always.

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and He examines all His paths." 

Proverbs 5:18-21

"But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself." Proverbs 6:32

     For my grandmother, it was Dean Martin. For my mom, Paul Newman. For me - well, I can't think of just one. I have an embarrassingly long list of favorite movies featuring top shelf, out-of-reach eye candy. 

     Solomon, the child produced from a union that began as an adulterous affair between David and Bathsheba, warned his own son to run from adulterous eyes that flirt and invite.  He'd heard from at least his mother and his father that a supposedly simple one-night-stand can take people to dark places they never intended to go and bring out weaknesses no one wants to discover they have.  Scripture teaches that casual sex leads to intensely painful consequences for the two involved, for their families, the community, and society in general.  You and I both know families who've paid dearly for someone's unfaithfulness, and if we could, we would delete those scenes.  

     Solomon's wise phrasing "Why be captivated?" indicates that at some point we consciously decide to be captivated. We're not helpless victims doomed to respond to every instinct, overpowered by the need to fall into the next available relationship or bed.  We choose our chains because no one-night-stand "just happens" unless the two people involved allow and encourage it to "just happen."  Instead of using our eyes to flirt with and devour eye candy, God calls us to feed our marriage relationships that once, and can again, captivate our hearts and nourish our souls. We can choose intentionally to be captivated by the one we've already chosen.

Father, guide us to feed our families' souls by nourishing our marriages. May we be faithful to our spouses in our hearts and allow them to captivate us while we do our best to captivate them.  Show us how; teach us to love in action and secure our homes. May our children and grandchildren see relationships they want to experience for themselves. Help us raise the bar. 

In the Name of Jesus who blessed a marriage celebration with His first miracle!

Inspired by Live Loved, by Max Lucado
clip art from Google images