There are people in this world who know from a young age they wanted to have kids, and that is great. But not this guy. There was never a time before I actually had kids where I just knew I had to have one. Children terrify me.
For example, the other day I witnessed a toddler throw away the center of a cinnamon roll. The actual center of the cinnamon roll. It’s the greatest bite of the cinnamon roll. It’s the only reason you get a cinnamon roll. The. Center. Of. The. Cinnamon. Roll. Children are monsters……monsters.
But to be fair they can be the best thing God has ever given you. You could have had your worst day at work, and you come home, and your 6-year-old shows you their school project from that day titled “My Hero”. And it says, “My dad is my hero. I love him more than McDonald’s chicken nuggets and my new Spider-man toy. He is big and strong and kills monsters every night so I can go to sleep”.
Stuff like that fixes what ails you that day. It also makes your allergies act up over time, and your eyes start watering because I am a big, strong monster-killing super-hero so I am definitely not crying.
What do you mean “what did I mean?“
My kids are preteen now, and the main thing that bothers me about them is after I give, what I consider to be very simple instructions, I come back and they are not followed. I now understand why my mother was so livid when I didn’t take the chicken out the freezer for her before she got home from work. Their excuse……oh I didn’t understand what you meant. What do you mean “what did I mean”? What else could I have meant? How did you mess this up?
But like all good parents–(oh yeah, it took me almost 13 years, but I graduated from clueless parent to know what it takes to be a good parent)–you must break it down to them again. Teach them how to pay attention to detail, take on responsibilities, and learn the consequences of their actions.
Then give them another chance. Forgiveness and patience are two vital components of being a parent.
Acting Like Children
The children of Israel, after being rescued from Pharaoh, spent 40-years in the wilderness. The trip should have taken 11-days according to people smarter than me. God gave them guidance, food, freedom, peace, and explicit instructions, but the children of Israel basically still questioned God and asked, “What do you mean?”
Sometimes things are straightforward. No explanation needed. We know what we have to do, but we just don’t do it. Life isn’t as hard as we make it. We date the wrong person despite the 47 red flags flying right in front of our faces. We speed and ask God how he could allow this $425 ticket to happen to us when he knows we are heavily in debt.
Someone will say, “God I know I complain about my job every day and usually only give 75% effort but how could you let them lay me off, I have bills to pay”?
We can’t act like children. We have to take responsibility for our own actions. God gives us free will. He means well for us, and we have to allow him to work in our lives.
God, what do you mean?
What do you mean don’t gossip?
What do you mean don’t procrastinate?
What do you mean to love your neighbor?
What do you mean to treat people with the love of Christ?
These things are pretty straightforward yet we find ourselves still doing them from time to time.
God is saying “What do you mean what do I mean? I showed you what love is by sending my son to be born and die for you”. We know what he means. But like my kids and myself when I was a kid, we pretend we don’t understand.
Understanding What God Means
Isn’t it great that we serve a God who invented forgiveness and patience? One who doesn’t say, “Hey bring me that belt over there” when we deserve it—like my parents used to do. God wants you to know exactly what he means, with no confusion. You just have to be open to experiencing all he has to offer.
For example, my kids are open to experiencing a culture. They will try anything, from a cheeseburger at a Mexican restaurant, to a cheeseburger at a Mediterranean restaurant. One day hopefully in the future you will see a situation unfold in your life, and smile and say, “God, I know exactly what you mean!”
Prescott Williamson is a Bible-believing Christian. He is a husband, a father, and someone who believes that there is a little humor to be found in whatever situation God sends your way. He was born in the small islands of the Bahamas but now lives in the Suburbs of Fort Worth Texas, which is basically the same thing. He enjoys TV, reading, blogging and serving in his church (especially on the days they serve donuts). You can see what I have been thinking about lately on my blog www.prescottascoolbreeze.com.
Thanks for sharing. We have been given wisdom from God, and in faith, we can act and move forward in that wisdom when we abide in Jesus. There are some things which are easier to discern and, as you say, are straightforward. However, some things (such as certain events or why things happened a particular way) aren’t always so clear cut and not phrased as a command. In those times I do find myself questioning what God meant by those things.
That’s true that’s when we need to dig deeper and get in commune with God to find out what he means. But too many times we know exactly what the deal is and we close our eyes to avoid. Thanks for reading
Oh, your post resonates! The cinnamon roll! Sacrilege! As a kid I wanted 5 kids. As an adult, I had a child with ADHD which equals 5 kids. Grandkids (I have 4) ‘terrify’ me. No they don’t toss cinnamon rolls, but they are great at destruction while mom and dad ignore it–at my house. But as I ask for wisdom, patience, love… and that everything else even destroyed, is just stuff… I see them differently. They also grow out of these behaviors which helps lol. Great post. That we all begin to understand what He has given us, forgiven us, His patience with us. When we understand as parents (and grandparents) these concepts we understand ‘more’ (not completely) the heart of God.
So well written! Yes, it’s amazing how your perspective on children changes with time – we were never sure it was “the plan”, but are so thankful for the beautiful little family we now have. Kudos to you for raising your family to be open to experiencing culture; love how you said that. Life has so many beautiful experiences if we are open to them!
“Kids are monsters.” Hahaha!
It’s true though. They don’t understand life, and we need to be patient with them so they can learn what they need to know. So thankful our Father is patient with us when we don’t get it yet either!