It's good to be back from vacation. We had a great week with our family. It was busy with lots of activities so it wasn't exactly relaxing, but it's worth it to make memories with the family. Vacationing with a toddler is particularly interesting. He has high energy, needs constant activity and supervision and still requires a nap to function best. That means sometimes a parent has to stay back with him or get him to sleep in the car or stroller while the other parent goes ahead with the others. He's also at the fun age where he insists on his own independence. He even has a cute little phrase. Where we might politely say, "I would like to do this myself, thank you", he simply says, "MY do it!" For example, when you try to put the lid on his water bottle he wrestles it away from you saying, "MY do it". Try to buckle him into his car seat and he grabs the buckle saying, "MY do it". Sometimes it's a safety matter. If you try to hold his hand crossing a road or parking lot, he tries to shake his hand away saying, "MY do it". This can be super frustrating as a parent when trying to accomplish anything, especially if we're in a rush. I sometimes find myself trying to reason with my child saying, "If you'd just let me help you a little, this will go so much easier for both of us." I know my child craves independence and wants to be able to do things himself, but I also know how much he needs me no matter how much he insists he doesn't. Now obviously this is a normal and necessary part of a child's development in learning to grow up and do ordinary things on their own, but it certainly got me thinking about our spiritual lives. How often are we tempted to wrestle away a little control from God because we insist, "MY do it!"
Recently I saw a quote that said, "Parenting really is a crash course in theology. You have someone made in your image who you love so desperately you can hardly stand it. But half the time they're convinced you're trying to make them miserable when everything you're doing is actually for their ultimate good." It made me laugh at myself as a parent trying to care for my children. It also made me think about how I treat God. He is sovereign, always there with us working for our good and ready to help us, yet I still act like I've got it all under control on my own.
When we walk with God, are we really convinced he loves us so desperately he would do anything for us? Are we always convinced that no matter what he does, it is always for our ultimate good? That might be easy to believe when things are going well for us, but it becomes harder when life is difficult or uncomfortable or down right painful. On the flip side, sometimes it's the good times that make us think how great we must be doing if so many things are going right. Listen to Ephesians 2:10 (ESV). "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
We were not created to go through this life all on our own. We were created to trust that God is ordaining our steps. What we think are our own good qualities is the workmanship of God. What we think is our own hard work is God preparing us for the good works he's prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
I'm really grateful God is sovereign. On my own strength I'd be sure to mess things up way worse than they are. But I'm glad to know God is ordaining our steps as we live for him.
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