The birth of my first great grandchild reminded me of how scary newborn infants can be. I remembered my own kids and had forgotten how fragile they actually were. How can something be so soft, cuddly, and delicate and at the same time, be so scary? It was scary just to pick him up or even have someone hand him to me. Because of an infant’s fragility, they are totally dependent on their parents. The only thing they know how to do is, drink milk, pooh, and sleep. However, they eventually learn to sit-up, stand, talk, walk, run, and get into things.

Then something happens. They develop intelligence and minds of their own. With it come opinions, decisions, and rebellion. Then comes the influence of peer pressure, girlfriends, boyfriends, and rings in the nose, tattoos, and more rebellion, but hey, we still love them because they are our kids, right? This person that was once totally dependent on us is now leaving home and striking out on his or her own. They know everything and have forget all about us. They don’t visit as often as we’d like and they are learning different things than what we taught them and things we just as soon they didn’t learn.

All of a sudden, the house is empty and quiet. . . very quiet. The peace is great for about a week then their mother and I realize that their dependence on us affected us in another way, we needed them as much as they needed us. After all, we were dad, mom, friend, nurturer, provider, teacher, counselor, protector, and personal guidance coordinator. We supplied their food, clothes, roof, toys, medical attention, and even consoled them when they were down. We supported them at school plays, games, teachers’ meetings, PTA, and now. . .they were gone.

The many different hats that we wore were lost that day. They did not depend on us anymore but that’s the nature of the beast. Since the day they were born, their independence is what we groomed them for – daily. We wanted them to learn from their own mistakes and gave them the latitude to do so with free will in hopes that they would derive a better than average chance of survival in the world. Their mom and I would not always be there to save them. So we got excited about their independence, especially when they’d make the right decisions and then grew from them. However, I must admit I miss the good ole days when they just flat depended on us. It’s purely selfish, I know, but. . .

I wonder if God the Father thinks about His children the same way we think about ours, as being fragile, soft, delicate, and drinkers of milk. We haven’t learned how to stand, walk, or talk the spiritual things of God yet and as infants we were totally dependent on Him. To help us in our decision making and giving us the chance of survival, God the Father also gave us the latitude of free will but He gave it from our birth. As we grow, our worship and prayer time builds each day and we find ourselves more dependent on Him. He supplies all of our needs.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2 KJV]

Then we developed intelligence and minds of our own. We ventured out on our own with our own ministry, doctrines, opinions, decisions, beliefs, and got so caught up in the deeper things of God that in the process we forget about Abba Father. We developed the Martha syndrome. Remember that Mary had the better thing and it wouldn’t be taken from her. We have developed our independence through free will and have grown up in the Lord. We don’t visit Him as often as He’d probably like but we’re learning, working in our ministry, and doing the work of God. However, God still loves us because we are His children. He will never leave or forsake us.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2 KJV]

As a parent, I taught my kids how to take care of themselves so they could, one day, grow up, and have their independence. However, I miss the validation of that dependence. I lost many hats that day. I wonder if God feels the same way and doesn’t want to give His children their independence either because He just misses the good ole days, like I do. . .when they just depended on Him (us).