As a mother, I have seen firsthand how my child loves me with his unparalleled enthusiasm. Even when I have failed miserably as a mother, my son still runs to me with open arms. As a disciple of Christ, I often find myself searching for God in that same childlike manner. However, that childlike love and desire issometimes difficult to muster. It is difficult to not let the happenings of the day and the world itself get inthe way of loving the Father.
I often let my worry, my responsibilities as a parent, wife, daughter, employee etc. cloud my view of the Father. Shouldn’t He take all of these worries away? Shouldn’t He make each day wonderful and special? Shouldn’t He... No. No, He shouldn’t.
We need to view God as a Father, not as a servant. And we need to see ourselves as His Children-Malachi 2:10
As a parent, my goal is to raise a loving, compassionate, God fearing child. In order to do that, I have to be a parent, not a servant. If I gave into his every desire, he would be greedy and spoiled. If I always picked up after him, his future wife would go nuts! If he never faced failure, he would never experiencethe feeling of achieving something great. If I feel like that as an earthly parent, how much does God our Father love us unconditionally? How much more should we, as children, love him?
In 1 John 3:1, we are “called children of God”. Wouldn’t it make sense to humble ourselves before Him like a child, and continually seek Him in a childlike manner? As a child, I trusted my parents implicitly. I knew that every decision they made was in my best interest. Just as we trusted our parents, we need to trust that the plans the Father have made for us are in our best interest.
Sometimes, little ones can be greedy;.it’s often all about them and what they want. When seeking the Father as a child, be aware of your own greediness and remember to mind your manners. Giving thanks for all the blessing He has bestowed upon us should take precedence.
Placing ourselves before the Lord as children makes us vulnerable. We have to trust and love withabandon. When we open ourselves up to God, when we are truly vulnerable, we have the opportunity to be loved in a way that we never have been loved before.
On the other side of that, we have the opportunity to serve God by giving ourselves to Him completely. The love and pure joy I receive when my son runs up to hug me after a long day at work, I’m thinking the Lord feels something similar when we run to Him.
- Ashley
Reflection: Think back to a time in your life when you trusted the Lord completely. What was the result of that trial/experience?
Reflection: Who in your life do you trust the most? Do you confide in the Lord as you would thisparticular person?
Act: Write down your top three worries. Discuss these with God tonight.
