Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3 (NLT)
Since I posted my last blog, my granddaughter celebrated her first birthday. A few weeks before her big celebration, she reached another important milestone by learning to walk.
Watching her grow in strength and curiosity has been both a pleasure and a worry. When she was limited to crawling, she was frequently frustrated. She couldn’t reach the things she wanted when she wanted them. Once she started walking though, her upright mobility offered her freedom and access to things previously off limits. Hence, the worry on this grandma’s part. Baby-proofing the house has advanced to the next level!
Now that walking is possible, crawling no longer satisfies. This little girl likes her independence and asserts it at meal time. She needs to get her hands dirty and insists on feeding herself. This baby already shows signs of problem-solving and natural intelligence. She mimics sounds, movements and words. As a one-year-old, she’s made it clear that music is her thing. She’s partial to The Beatles and is completely captivated by Ed Sheeran’s duet with Andrea Bocelli.
Her likes and dislikes are more defined each day. She’s more comfortable with certain people than others, learning to trust those closest to her. She exhibits love and compassion. She doesn’t like being told “NO,” and is honing her manipulation skills with crying and tantrums or smiling and laughing to get what she wants.
God is showing me yet again, that we are all hand-crafted by Him. We possess inborn gifts and talents that develop from the womb, as do certain instincts. When modeled in a healthy way, love and compassion grow in us, proving we are different from animals.
The parallels to our relationship with God mimics much of what an infant learns early on.
When I was a baby Christian, I relied on God for everything. It was easy to trust Him as I grew in spiritual maturity. There were times though – and still are – that I insist on doing everything myself. I’ve been known to reject God’s help when I face a challenge, simply because of a lack of trust on my part. I don’t like being told “NO” and have occasional tantrums when I don’t get what I want when I want it.
At my advanced age, I’m still learning a lot about life – although not at the advanced rate of an infant. Learning who we can trust and rely on makes the growth process easier, especially if we learn to trust God for all of our needs sooner rather than later.
God is continually molding us and making us into His image. Imparting sound Biblical wisdom and knowledge to a tiny human in the very beginning stages of her life is a huge responsibility. BUT, until our children and grandchildren reach the age of accountability, teaching them about the love of Jesus should be the most important job in our lives.
I’m with my granddaughter five days a week and teaching this child manners, right from wrong, even growth through life’s failures … all are daunting tasks. As I did with my own children though, I know that training up this child in the way she should go, will require full reliance on God to insure long-lasting success.
Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents]. Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (AMP)
Blessings in Christ,
Kathy K.
