As dear children
Hello Bride of Christ,
Motherhood is by far one of the hardest and most challenging events of life I have dared to experience. I remember the first day of being a mother and realizing there was someone that was absolutely dependent on Steve and me. This child would be dependent on my husband and I for every provision: financial, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I would never expect them to figure out how to pay my mortgage or go food shopping while they were a child under my care. I would desire to see them become the best versions of themselves through my husband and my guidance and passed down wisdom. This revelation made me realize our God has no different expectation of us because He encourages us to imitate and follow Him as dear children.
"Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children." Ephesians 5:1
If God’s expectation is we follow Him and imitate Him as dear children why is it we try to be self-sufficient? I think because it’s so radically different than our physical state where we appear to be adults but are being asked to keep our child like dependency. Jesus mentions to us that “we can do nothing apart from Him” (John 15:5) when using an analogy of a Him being the vine that supplies everything for the branches (us), but if we would remember how dependent we were as children on our parents, and how dependent our children are on us this idea of complete dependency becomes amplified. Jesus not only supplies our need, but He expects to supply our need.
When Steve and I decided to adopt our oldest son, who was eight at the time, we were fully expecting to provide everything for our son. We expected to be the ones he would rely on for financial provision. We expected to be the ones our son would rely on for basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing. We expected to be the ones our son would turn to when he felt scared, unsure, or wanted to celebrate. However, since our son had experienced a lot of uncertainty, pain and loss he did not naturally look to us for any of those things. Instead at eight years old he would often try to do all things on his own.
The root reason of my son's "self-sufficiency" is that he did not believe he had anyone he could depend on or trust. This broke my heart because I knew Steve and I were trust worthy and desiring to love on him. How often is Jesus grieved because we think we have to be "self-sufficient"?
Bride of Christ, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14). Do not let human experience hinder you from being a child of God. Allow God to be your provision. Trust God and allow Him to be your all and all. Purposefully, as my son learned to do, trust God and do nothing apart from Him. Then as healthy children you will find yourself imitating your Father and walking in love and peace through the power of His grace!
