Done with Religion

I am sure those of you who are parents have noticed how we like to keep our kids under our control? Maybe not necessarily control, but we like for them to depend on us.

For my wife and me, when the kids were in the seven and eight year old range it seemed to be the perfect time. They were old enough to do things on their own, yet they still depended on us and wanted to spend time with us.

As time went on, they became more independent and wanted to be with their friends. As parents, we kind of dread this time. Even though we want to see our kids grow up and become self-sufficient adults, we always enjoy the thought of those days when they depended on us.

As parents, we want to mentally keep our kids at that age when we felt the love and dependence, and knowing they wanted to be with us. I’ve seen this in my grandmother and the way she talked and treated my mom. I saw my mom treat me the same way and I realize I am feeling the same way about our kids. I know our kids will one day feel the same about their kids. I guess no matter how old we get, we will always see our kids as those seven or eight year olds who depend on us and enjoy our company.

I’m sure our Father is the same way, He likes for us to depend on Him and look to Him for answers, comfort and fellowship. Yet we tend to want our independence, we want to do it our way.

The difference is that in our world it is natural and good for kids to grow up and become independent. In the spiritual world, we can actually stay kids forever. Children of God can look to their Father for love and comfort, someone to listen and is genuinely concerned for us. We can always depend on Him and enjoy his fellowship.

Staying a kid is not to say we should remain childish, but childlike. Being childish, according to answers.yahoo.com, is behaving badly,  produces tantrums, is annoying and merely ignored. Being childlike is a positive. Being childlike is innocent, trusts easily, fearless, powerful, not afraid to fail and inquires with a pure heart.

We are told in Mark 10 that anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Kids are trusting. They look to their parents thinking we know it all and anything we say is true. They do not think about what we say, they just accept it and do it. If we as children of God could be as trusting of our Father as our young kids are of us.

God is always there to listen, comfort, love, teach and enjoy our time together. He has provided all we need to have a relationship with Him and we can enjoy being His children forever.