Toddler Tuesday: Sticky Fingers

    My little boy wanted to give me a hug and kiss before I left today.  He reached out with fingers full of strawberry jelly from his toast, but he saw my hesitation.  He paused and tried to figure out whether he should wrap his arms around me or not.  I kissed him on the forehead and patted him on the back, trying not to leave him hanging.  While it’s cute to see pictures of kids with sticky fingers, it’s an entirely different matter to clean up the mess… especially if it’s all over your shirt as you are headed out the door!

    Our love for our children doesn’t push them away because of their daily messes.  As they get older, their daily messes will likely be more serious than a little bit of strawberry jelly.  The last thing we would want to do is leave our children uncertain about whether or not we love them, or whether or not we could forgive them. 

    As always, our heavenly Father is the best at this.  Jesus taught us sinners, with all the sticky messes of our sinfulness, to approach God as our heavenly Father, trusting his mercy and forgiveness.  The writer to the Hebrews tells us why he could say this:  “We have one (Jesus) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16). 

    Are your hands sticky with the mess of your sins?  Are you hesitant to reach out to God because of it?  Are you unsure of what God will say to you?  Take heart.  Because of Christ, you can approach your gracious God with confidence.  His forgiveness is real and true. Through Jesus, God did not hesitate to embrace us with all of our sticky messes of sin.  He didn’t just get a little of our mess on himself, but all of it!  Then, he didn’t just wipe up our messes, but he cleansed us completely.  Approach his throne of grace with confidence.  He loves you. 

Toddler Tuesday: Perspective
   Last night my wife was reading our 2-year-old a story with an illustration of a bee hive off in the distance and a bee in the foreground.  Our son thought it was ridiculous and impossible for the apparently huge bee to fit into the comparatively tiny front door of the bee hive.  He didn't understand the perspective going on.  
   Sometimes that's the way we are with our sin.  It's like the huge bee in the foreground of that picture.  It seems impossible that God's grace could cover it.  It seems impossible that the sacrifice of one man almost 2000 years ago on a Roman cross could be big enough to pay, not only for our sin, but for the sins of all people.  
   But the truth is that from God's perspective the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus did pay for all of our sin.  It removes our guilt before him.  It clothes us in his perfect life.  It gives us a new life right now, each and every day, and for all of eternity!
   Sometimes, the sins of others seem too big for God's sweet grace, too.  From our perspective, there's no way they can be forgiven.  Again, the truth from God's perspective is that in Christ, his forgiveness is for them, too.  
   I can't wait for our little one to understand perspective better.  Your heavenly Father is overjoyed when you come to see things from his perspective, too.  "Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." (Proverbs 24:14).  Indeed! How sweet the wisdom of God's grace is!

Feast on Grace Friday: Eating All of Your Lucky Charms
   Some things never change.  I remember trying to eat Lucky Charms as a little kid and I would pick out all the marshmallows and leave behind the oats (if you can call what's left behind something that healthful).  So, here's a picture of my own son's attempt at the same thing.  As you can see, we have pretty much the same result.  Even the fact that a picture of Cookie Monster was waiting at the bottom of my bowl couldn't even help me get through the "plain" pieces of the Lucky Charms wallowing in my lukewarm milk.  

   Sometimes we treat the Gospel the same way.  For example, take a passage like: "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).  We treat "His kingdom and his righteousness" at the beginning of the passage as the "plain", uninteresting pieces of the meal.  This is the good news of his life, death, and resurrection for us.  It is the good news that Jesus' blood shed for us has changed our status before God from enemy to dearly loved child!  
   As life changing and nourishing for our souls as that is, sometimes we like to leave that behind and just pick out the temporary things that the Gospel can do for us in this life.  The second part of the passage: "all these things will be given to you as well," is like the sweet blessings the Gospel can bring into your daily life.  It can be a huge blessing to your marriage, your parenting, your relationships, your daily work, your attitudes, etc.  Those are good things (like the marshmallows in your Lucky Charms), but they are not the only thing.
   I hope you have made it to the point in your life where you are able to eat ALL of your Lucky Charms.  But even if you never do, I pray that you appreciate ALL that the Gospel is. It's not just a tool to get blessings and success in this life.  It is your salvation.  It is what has created faith in Jesus in your heart, and it is what strengthens that faith.  It isn't luck, but God's grace. And, it is WAY more nourishing than a bowl of Lucky Charms :)
   The funny thing is that sometimes when we are little and have a hard time eating ALL of our Lucky Charms, we actually understand the sweetness of the Gospel better than when we are older and able to eat all of our Lucky Charms.  So, the next time you face a bowl of Lucky Charms, think about all that the Gospel is... And brush your teeth really well afterwards, too :)

Toddler Tuesday: You Got Nuffin!
   As with all parents of toddlers, we are having "fun" with bedtime routines.  Whatever your routine is like, when it comes to bed time, little ones are great at asking for just one more thing... a drink of water... a blanket, a teddy bear, a song, etc.  I laugh whenever we get a babysitter because we leave a long list of all the things that our little one "needs" for his routine.  Once it's in writing you can't help but think... "How did it get to be so long?"  
   The other day my wife was putting our 2-year-old down for his nap after Bible stories and brushing teeth, etc. He started saying to her, "You got nuffin," over and over.  She agreed with him without really knowing what he was saying because she just wanted him to lay down and go to sleep.  Then he finally clarified, "Daddy has a guitar... you got nuffin."  (One of the latest additions to the routine is that I play him a song).  This was hilarious because he has no idea that she plays violin better than I can play anything and she sings better than I do, too.  But we won't tell him that because he'd want that to be part of the routine, too!  
   Sometimes as a parent, especially in the rougher moments, you might feel like you've got nothing.  No matter what you do, it just doesn't seem to be good enough.  But don't be deceived.  You do have something very important and very special.  You have something vital for your children's salvation - God's Word.
   Paul reminded young Timothy of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice who taught him God's Word from little on.  Because of what they shared with Timothy even as a toddler, God had created saving faith in his heart, too.  "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also" (2 Timothy 1:5).  The gospel message they shared with him wasn't nuffin.  It was his salvation: "and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15).  
   So, whatever your routine (even if there is little or no routine at times), remember what you have and what it has the power to do in the heart of your little one.  

Thankful Thursday: Where Everything Comes From

   Recently a man set out to make a sandwich from scratch.  He grew the grain, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, raised the chicken... even evaporated sea water for salt to pickle the cucumbers!  It took him 6 months and $1500 to go from field to fork!
   We take for granted all the conveniences we have today.  Sometimes it's hard to remember that ever since the fall into sin, man has had to toil for his food and shelter, whether he is making it himself or paying someone else for it.  Yet God in his grace has blessed us so richly.  Not only do we get to worship him freely in this country, but as if that was not enough, he even makes it easy for us to make a simple sandwich!
   A fun game we play around the table is "Where does this come from?"  Our littlest is starting to figure it out. For example: "Did Jesus make these cabinets?  Did Jesus make my samich? My blankie? My chair?"  Okay, so there's a little work to do there.  Still, it is true that we can trace everything back to the created world God made for us.  And let's not forget the the talents and abilities he gave us so we can use all those created elements for our every day lives.  
   Paul said it this way: "For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory.  All glory to him forever!" (Romans 11:36) So, the next time you bite into your simple chicken sandwich, thank the Lord!  Thank the Lord for providing everything that goes into all we consume and enjoy on a daily basis.  

Fight! Fight! Fight!

   Are you a lover or a fighter?  Do you act on the impulse of seeing red when something doesn't go your way?  There's a powerful adrenaline rush that comes from getting into a fight.  

   Maybe your fight isn't hand to hand combat, but more often a war of words.  In a fury you write a response to an e-mail or text and you punch that send button. Instead of talking with your spouse or child, you burst out and make it a fight.  

   Wise king Solomon wrote: "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling" (Proverbs 20:3 - NLT).  Granted there are things to "fight" for in this life.  Paul encourages us to "fight the good fight of the faith" in 1 Timothy 6:12.  

   So, should you fight or not?  Answering that question has to do with your end goal.  Is your goal simply to fight and win an argument?  This is what a fool does.  His or her fighting isn't meant to get anywhere or accomplish anything, but just to come out on top.  However, if your goal is eternal life (for you and the other person), then you need to know who the enemy really is.  It's not the person you are fighting with, but all that would tear both of you away from God and his grace.  You don't just fight to fight, but you fight because, in Christ, you have victory and you want the other person to have that victory, too.  

   So, what have your most recent fights been about?  What little mole hills have you been dying on?  Maybe instead of fighting with your wife about silly little things, you could be fighting to save your marriage, or better yet, fighting to keep yourself and your spouse anchored to God's Word so you can see each other in heaven.  Maybe instead of fighting with that co-worker just because of how they are treated differently on the job, you could be fighting for a chance to share the hope you have in Jesus with them.  

   So, go ahead and fight, but fight wisely!

Daddy, Carry Me!

 Carry Me, Daddy!

   Recently I took my kids out for a bike ride along Spearfish Creek on the north side of town.  Occasionally, we would stop and walk into the tall grasses to look at some of the old irrigation troughs that were installed long ago to make Spearfish a nice green place to live. 

   My two girls are big enough to charge through the tall grasses, but my two year old was a little hesitant as the grasses reached over his head.  Armed with a stick, he mustered the bravest face he could and ventured into the tall grasses.  He made a valiant effort, but after struggling for a couple minutes and getting poked in the finger by a burr, he stopped, stuck out his hands and said, “Daddy, carry me please!” Of course I want him to be brave, but I was also honored that he reached out to me for help.

   We want to follow our heavenly Father bravely through whatever trials and challenges are before us, but sometimes they seem so far over our heads, we quickly get overwhelmed.   There is no shame in crying out to our heavenly Father for help.  He lives to carry us through and he never abandons us even when we feel like we are in over our heads. 

   King David shared these comforting words from our gracious God: “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:15).  Through his Son, Jesus, our great God has given us victories far greater than the challenges we face on a daily basis, but he loves us enough to be concerned about even the smallest of them.  Are you going through something “big” right now?  Or maybe you are surrounded by a whole lot of “little” challenges in your daily life.  None of them are too small or big to ask your heavenly Father’s help with.  Daddy, carry me!  When he carries us, we can see our troubles from his perspective and we can honor his love for us.  In his arms we can see that he is leading us to good places.  Daddy, carry me!