A toddler, God and Grace.
I had a moment of clarity around me and God this week.
Let me set the scene.
Breakfast time. I‘m’ eating. I’m trying to convince my toddler to eat. My toddler is convinced this is a bad idea. He is behaving like there is someone drowning in a nearby well. He insists we leave immediately.
In his flailing attempt to break my grip he grabs the peanut butter lid and flings it.
As any self-respecting progressive parent would, I realise this development supersedes my attempts to make him eat. It is a learning moment. An opportunity to emphasize the importance of not throwing stuff across the room.
I drop the toddler, point to the lid, and instruct him to return it.
Even in the moment, I am keenly aware that this will not work.
The outcome was inevitable.
A few key points…
- I as father of my son, know my son as well as he knows himself.
- Not at ALL surprised by how this played out.
- Still asked him anyway.
- At no time during or since did the question “Are you still my son” enter into the equation.
This whole situation helps me understand my relationship with God, and what His grace has achieved.
Firstly. New, crisp understanding, that me choosing badly does not surprise God, probably ever.
Secondly. God’s knowledge of my inevitable bad choices, does not stop Him from letting me choose. Why? I think its because God knows we have the power to do good (as we do bad), and He is committed to getting us to that point — his Fatherly, love-fuelled patience evident.
Third. I am a son of God, because of His Grace over my life. And now that issue is off the table. Regular moments of disobedience have no impact on it.
There is something about the meeting of God’s perfection, and my imperfection which I have often battled to understand. God is all powerful, but I imagine his plans are constantly derailed by human shortcomings.
Seeing my own long term approach to developing my child’s ability to do good (developing his holiness in a sense), is a beautiful context to understand God’s patient disposition toward me. To be amazed by the eternal Father/son relationship His grace has made possible.
