More than children
Malachi 4:5-6 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
By M. F. Malyon
Smashwords edition
Copyright © 2010 by:
M. F. Malyon
All rights reserved
2. It's not good for man to be alone
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Gen 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him." While it's true that God was referring to Eve, there's also a secondary application for this verse. God wanted you to have children. It was part of His master plan. Gen1:28: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." Your children form part of a picture that God wishes to paint into your life. Now while it might be true that many families have become living incarnations of bitterness and pain, our God has the ability and the power to change all of that.
You see, God designed you to be a sexual being. That's why your children are interested in it, and that's why you are still fascinated by it. It is most probably the most amazing and enjoyable part of creation. Being interested in sex is normal. But it's not just the actual process that fascinates the human mind. Within the arms of a little baby, we find the beauty, the tender perfection and awe of a Divine design. It is heart warming. Every tiny detail is perfect. How could chance result in such fragile wonder? How can nothing become the marvel called your child? Within the beauty of that tender human life, you will see the echoes of God's power and glory.
But why is everything surrounding the reproductive system so amazing? From the naked human form, to the end product, everything is laced in stupendous wonder. The two most powerful pictures in the known world are that of a well shaped human being, and that of a fragile human child. Our emotional response to both of these prescribes the value and effect that they have to us. Even the development of the foetus in the mother's womb is a simple marvel. Every moment of pregnancy can be an inspiration. The development of a living being inside of you, the miracle of a new individual is simply unreal. Yes, God wanted to populate the world. But why did He do it in the way He did? Sure, one might reason, everything He created is amazing. Perhaps it's just another example of the aesthetic flare and artistic genius of the God who fashions life into a living canvas. Perhaps it was designed for mere enjoyment. However, the God that I serve leaves nothing to mere chance. Here's a thought, before we proceed. Gen 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Yes, we were made, male and female, child and adult alike, in the image of God.
Looking at the fragile form of my new born cousin, I couldn't help but marvel. She was so perfect. Her tiny fingers, her sparkling eyes, the cutest little ears, all hushed my mind to silence. She was so soft. Her skin was glowing with vibrancy. “Can I hold her?” My heart was racing. What would Fiona say? I held my breath, hoping, praying, dreaming... Smiling understandingly at me she said; "But you must be careful hey!" I protectively folded my arms around the tiny bundle- like I had seen her mother do. Fiona's arms still lingered beneath her precious child's body for a moment before reluctantly drawing them back. I was still a child myself. I've seen many babies at church and in the supermarket. But Jessica was different. She is my cousin. She was also the first baby I ever held.
Now don't get me wrong, I've handled live explosives after that. You find yourself trembling slightly the first time you touch a real grenade. It's frightening. I felt myself trembling at first. Realising that the object in your hand could kill you at any moment changes how you act towards it... then they teach you how to remove the safety pin! You can hold it in your hand indefinitely. As long as the fly off lever is in place, you are safe. But a single faulty movement would send the leaver flying through the air. You'd have five seconds left to throw the grenade. It freaked me out. However, holding a child—is very different! I didn’t tremble out of fear, but out of awe. Don't get me wrong, touching her was scary. I was so afraid of hurting her. Holding her in my arms, my only prayer was; Father, keep me from accidentally dropping her. However, it was different because of the wonder lying in my arms. She was so fragile, so cute, so amazing. The little bundle of beauty in my arms was a real person. She breathed, and while her little eyes searched through my gaze—it dawned on me just how fragile life truly is. Every heart beat, pulsing through her veins was a tender echo of Divine power. Every breath of fresh air, pushing through her tiny lungs, witnessed to a higher power, more amazing, more caring, and more personal than any human will ever be able to comprehend.
…and then; she screamed!
Your child might not be a toddler anymore, but their lack of pure life experience still echoes through their every thought, action and emotion. I recently heard a young mother talking about her two year old son, "I'll never understand him." And in a way she's right. It is hard to understand them. Sadly, we don't have a choice. They are here by our doing. Your child is result of your own actions. We are responsible for them. Like the blood, pumping through their little veins, they need you. You are their survival. Deprived from you as an adult, your average sixteen year old will die within days. Perhaps they can physically fend for themselves. Physics however; is one small part of the complete human existence. When we look past the outward, many a teen is still a frightened, insecure being, dependant on your every thought. Your children need you more than you will ever realise.
A child is like an empty canvas. At birth, their brain is empty. You can fill it with anything you wish. The child you're looking at is already, in part, a product of your design. Every action, thought and word, whether through neglect or your own influence, is a direct result of your actions. You as parent can shape your child's life in any way you want. Nobody has the influence upon your kids that you have. By placing the right emphasis on the right areas, you can create a musician, an architect, and engineer, or a train wreck. Now creating a wreck is not as hard as physically abusing your child. Sadly, it's much easier.
Allow me to explain. If God created us in His image, He wanted you to be the "god" of that little child. It's part of a grand design. Your presence in that child's life is of vital and life changing importance. Unless you write the song to which you'd like your child to sing, the tune will be unsynchronised and false. We do have teachers at our schools, but their job is to focus on your child's academic life. While it is true that they do have a greater responsibility towards their students, they have at least thirty children in each class. In today's world, classes can be up to sixty students big, depending on the country and school. Now each teacher might only have half an hour per day with one class. That gives the teacher an average of one minute per student, in a small group. Even if they had the energy, bonding with every student is simply impossible. You are the only one your child has. You should be their source of strength, hope and assurance.