Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Cost Of Freedom





My three year old granddaughter now qualifies to be out of her baby car seat and into an older child’s booster seat. She was unable to unbuckle her old seat, but she can get out of this new one all by herself. All the time. Over and over. When she should not. You get the picture. I took these pictures today. My little escape artist has just finished showing me her newest trick, and is very pleased with herself (sigh). What’s a grandparent to do? Let her parents handle it! It is nice to have a child to spoil and not have to handle any of those pesky discipline problems. I think that very soon, her new pink seat will go missing for quite a while. And while little Anne may be a Houdini, she is not a mind reader. If she were, she’d know that her freedom is very dangerous and can come at a high price. As the children of a loving God, we can be like Anne is with her parents. Right now she does not know anything about the dangers of this world. But her parents do, and this is why she needs to rely on them and ask them for advice. And, similarly, only God knows what is in our future and what can happen to us if we make decisions without asking him first. We may not like being stuck where we are, or stuck in a certain situation. Maybe you don’t like being stuck in a small town, or with a job that bores you. And we may be chaffing at the bit to make a change, but we don’t usually know what’s best for us. The bible tells us not to rely on our own understanding. God has put each and every one of us exactly where we are for a reason. Each of us fits into his plan like a jigsaw puzzle. If one piece is missing, you don’t have a picture. Now I’m not saying that God never wants us to change or move on. That would be ridiculous. What I’m saying is that we need to include Him in all our decisions. Through prayer, discernment, and listening to our wiser Christian friends and counselors.
“For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11

3 comments:

Our Journey said...

She's a sneaky little girl! She asked again today why we couldn't ride in "Grandma's" car - and I know it was because she wants to get back in that seat....ugh...the worries we have as parents :o) heee :o) LOVE the verse you used!

Unknown said...

Amen on the grandchildren comments.

I remember how much fun it was to stand behind the seat and look out, since at that age and without car seats we couldn't see anything otherwise. Once or twice I have allowed the little people to do that ... when we were just going to the dump on back country roads.

senorris said...

back in the day before child seats, I received a nasty bump on the forehead when we went over a railroad track so I appreciate the safety of those seats. Oh to be a little child(human kind)and be taken care of again. To allow our minds to receive God's guidance in child like trust is so much more difficult.

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