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Children and Why we Need to be More like Them.

Lately, I've been thinking about the differences between adults and children, the way we process things and relate to one another. I've noticed that while we both want to be recognized, children really want to be affirmed.

They want to be acknowledge and remembered. I have 6 grandchildren and I instruct the primary grades as a sub teacher when I am not writing, illustrating or publishing. So, I know a little about children...

And I've noticed that children really like the adults in their world to acknowledge them. Its a cool thing to notice because even though you may have had to send a child to the office for some behavioral issue, the next day you see them they are often eager to greet you!

They are resilient and they love to be acknowledged even if your last encounter with them resulted in their receiving some type of discipline for unacceptable behavior. I think that's cool. They know how to forgive and move on with the thing much better than adults.

Adults are so burdened with the weight of trying to reconcile our emotions and thoughts about one another. We attribute intent to other's actions and we spend a lot of time analyzing our actions. So if we are offended by another adult, it takes more time to process whether we want to be on friendly terms with them again. That is the problem with growing up.

We lose our childlike instincts to just say 'Ok, I'm sorry'. Being an adult means many things, most of which are great in terms of privileges however when it comes to relationships we are so much at a disadvantage as compared to children.

I think Christ loved the simplicity at which children process things. He loved their hearts. Their ability to accept without judging and scrutinizing, doubting and being sarcastic. Their ability to have faith in something without having to know how it works...

Adults are so skeptical. We need to have empirical proof of everything because the world has taught us to not trust others. We have learned to not accept but rather challenge all suppositions. These are things the world teaches you after you have lived enough minutes on this planet...We can learn a lot from children.

Made in His Image

The other day I was thinking about how incredible it is that we have the ability to travel so freely about this world. In the last two months, I’ve been on a few airplanes and landed in a different state (and a different continent).

I know it’s common, to see planes and or even just get in a car and drive several miles to a location that one would not consider walking to. You might say ‘well that’s nothing to get excited about’ because driving and flying are every day occurrences.

I think about how we have used our brains and hands to make mechanical devices that we then get aboard and fly through the air! Or we ride in contraptions that go far faster than we could ever hope to run! And we do this every day without a second thought.

It’s a trip! Literally and figuratively, to think that a human should be able to defy the laws of gravity and transport themselves over thousands of miles and to do so with little or no real concern (other than the cost to do so).

Our not to distant ancestors could not even think about such a thing. To have lived in the early 1800s meant if you wanted to go somewhere of significant distance, you were riding on an animal. It wasn’t until the steam engine and steam trains that mass transportation became a reality in Western society.

And through advances in technology, we now get into space ships and fly out of the atmosphere to other planets! Just think about all the moving parts in a car or better yet, a passenger jet that must move and spin, turn and twist so that propulsion and speed are possible.

How did this happen? After all, are we not just mere human beings? We don’t have wings on our backs or the ability to run like a cheetah! What or rather Who gives us the right to fly through the air? And what will we be able to do tomorrow?

In Genesis, Chapter 1 Verse 26 it says:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” – NIV

We know that God is a creator because He made the Earth and everything in it. He placed all the natural resources that He knew would be needed to refine the materials necessary to build our cars, planes, cell phones, boats, etc. He also made us to be inventors and use our creative minds to dream, conceive, design and construct these things.

We are creators of these incredible inventions and devices because He made us in His image. He is the ultimate Creator of all Heaven and Earth, and we inherited our God given creative abilities to have dominion over the Earth. It is for this same reason that animals such as lions and tigers, bears and sharks, no matter their physical size or power, will ever stand a chance against the devices of man.

We were made to be rulers over this planet and we do so by our abilities to create and invent. So the next time you get in your car, or aboard a plane, take a moment to realize we are able to do such things only because we are made in His image. 

The Answer

I was watching the news today and saw a shocking story about 3 teens who shot to death, a young man who was visiting the US from Australia. The story said the young man was out jogging and the teens drove up from behind and shot him for the 'fun' of it and they just wanted to see someone die...

This story is just about as senseless an event as there could ever be. Senseless in terms of the reason these teens committed this act. And it occurred to me that our country and its youth have reached a new low. We have degraded to the point where innocent people cannot walk out the door with out concern for some unstable idiot with a vendetta against society who has access to a gun.

This brings up the whole issue of guns and their proliferation in America. I have no problem with guns because in the right hands, a gun is a tool for keeping the peace and for providing protection. Its when they fall into the wrong hands that we see the countless number of tragedies.

I'm sure there will be arguments about what the right measures need to be to ensure guns do not fall into the wrong hands...but I am concerned about another precipitating factor: the psyche of those who feel they must use a gun against society or the public for personal or private reasons.

Regardless of how a gun gets into the wrong hands...there seems to be an emergence of crazies who feel no sense of moral regard for innocent people or lives. Doesn't matter if the victims are senior citizens or elementary grade school children. The crazies seem to feel that everyone is fair game and the only thing that seems to matter is they have unleashed their vengeance on the public.

I don't ever recall a time in my life time where there was so much blatant disregard for human life or such callous attitudes for those who commit such actions. Its like we are living in 'Thunderdome' and I fully expect 'Mad Max' to appear out on the streets.

I am reminded of a scripture in the book of Matthew (24:12) that says "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." And I think about this generation. I think about how cold  some have become and how devoid of love their hearts have to be take out their rage on innocent lives.

More stringent gun control legislation may help but it is not the real answer. Love is the answer. Love your neighbor as your self is part of the real answer. Embracing the love of Christ with the understanding He gave His life to be a ransom for you and I, to redeem us; that is the real answer.

We will see real change when hearts and minds are won over to Christ. The forgiveness and grace of God, that says He knows how depraved we are... yet He still loves, forgives and accepts us as His own, that is what changes lives.

So when we see another story on TV that horrifies us...just know that there are many people who need to know that God cares about them...that we have a responsibility to communicate this to our world and that if they only realized this before they became so desperate...perhaps we could have saved some lives.

Living Oblivious To Others

I was thinking about the importance of family and how we often lose sight of our heritage because we don't take the time to learn about prior generations. I recently had an opportunity to meet some older relatives on the opposite coast and we had a great time! My parents have been deceased for over 30 years so you can imagine what it felt like to talk with other relatives who knew them when they were children!

I learned stories about what my dad was like as a teen ager and it brought a whole new meaning to my memories of him. He never discussed his youth with me when he was alive. Yes, reminiscing with older relatives is a jewel and it shines light into the dark areas of unknown knowledge about prior generations. And it makes me think about how this current generation, does not necessarily value those stories.

I am saddened when I think about how today's generation almost seem to not care whether they know their heritage or not. Why do we not value our older generation? Why are we so self absorbed in living today and in being preoccupied with only what is in front of us in the moment, that we don't even stop to think about our older relatives? Why do we not care about our past? Some times I think about the sacrifice our older relatives made so we could have a better life and I sense a total lack of recognition for their efforts.

And I think about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us so many years ago...and how that often goes totally un-noticed in the daily lives of individuals. Folks that are so oblivious to this important event that they live their lives with out any regard for His sacrifice. I see a world that turns around, day and night, people living their lives with absolutely no acknowledgment of His sacrifice, or knowledge of His presence in their lives today.

I saw a rainbow today...and it reminded me of how God made a covenant with the Earth to never destroy it by flood again...Wow, just when I needed a reminder of Him in my daily routine.

Thank you Lord!

Justice, Jesus, or Just Us?

Everyone wants to receive fair and just treatment under the law. We have seen trials where the verdict that was rendered makes one ask the question: "was that really a just verdict?" Everyone wants to believe that justice is color blind...but the truth is it isn't. It isn't because police officers, jurors, judges, are all humans and they are therefore influenced by their predispositions, prejudices and paradigms.

Everyone has biases. For an officer, the challenge is to discern a potential volatile situation, protect the peace and treat a potential suspect with the right amount of restraint so as not to violate their civil rights (and to not personally become injured in the process). For a jury, the challenge is to set their biases aside, and to ponder the evidence and render a ruling that follows the precepts of law.

We live in a great country that affords its citizens more rights than any other free country. And yet we incarcerate more people at a rate that exceeds any other first world country. We see countless videos of police treating suspects with what appears to be in some cases, enormous amounts of unnecessary force...Why?

I believe society needs both the law and a good police force to maintain civility.
I don't pretend to know the answers to these questions except that I think that some where along the way we lost our ability to see each and regard one another with respect and dignity. And that this is tied to the way that people have chosen to behave (without regard for one another and without integrity).

When we stop seeing each other through the eyes of dignity, we see each other through the eyes of skepticism and mistrust. We stop trying to know the real person and find it easier and safer to place labels on people such as: He's a thug. She's a slut, etc...We label each other with disparaging names so that we no longer see a thinking, feeling human being but rather we see a caricature.

Caricatures allow us to cast wide nets of exaggerated misperceptions over entire racial groups and stigmatize them. We tend to justify our actions by telling ourselves 'they're all like that'...and 'those people are no good'...etc...After all, its easier to stigmatize than to take the time to get to know people.

It occurred to me is that if the Lord Jesus Himself were to come to Earth and appear in the midst of any major city he would probably be looked upon with great suspicion. He might even be profiled and stopped based entirely on His appearance. I can imagine Him being arrested and charged with being a vagrant because He would be among the lost, the 'dregs' of society, ministering to them and the authorities would arrest Him for obstruction.

If He were to be arraigned, I can imagine Him be tried by a jury who would judge Him by his appearance...No he wouldn't necessarily wear a hoodie but His robe and sandals would be enough for someone to think He was up to no good. The jury would deliberate and most certainly return a guilty verdict...And He would look upon them with compassion and most certainly forgive them.

Trust- Why is it so difficult?

When I examine my life, I find I have had an abiding conviction that Jesus is the son of God, but that is very different as compared to trusting God. Trust requires more than belief, it requires a willingness to demonstrate one's belief. Trust requires you put skin in the game and not just mentally ascent to a belief or notion.


When you trust, you take action. For example, every morning during the week, we awake and go off to work. We commute several miles because we trust that our actions and efforts will lead to a pay check. We expect and trust that a direct deposit will be placed in our checking account. Such actions are in fact, expressions of trust because they are accompanied by action and not mere belief. Belief requires no action but merely agreement. Trust requires a demonstration of action that is predicated on one's belief.


So I know how to demonstrate actions that constitute trust for the belief I will have a pay check every two weeks... even though there are any number of interventions that could potentially interfere with that becoming a reality (I could croak in my sleep, or have an accident on the freeway, or simply get fired for performance reasons, etc).


And yet non of those potential possibilities deter my belief that leads to my actions to get up and go to work because I trust in the outcome of receiving my bi-weekly compensation. I'm pretty sure you do the same thing and the point is we take action based on our trust our actions will result in a future outcome (even though we have no real assurance that it will).


We trust in our money, guns, democracy, military capabilities, technology, etc... Notice that all these things are tangible (IE, they are easily seen, felt, heard, expressed or other wise experienced by our senses).

But then there is this invisible God...who says that He is a rewarder of those believe He is, and who diligently seek after Him...We are told we can access Him through the measure of faith in His son; Jesus Christ and through believing what He died for us on the cross for our sins, and has risen from the grave.


We want to trust in God but why is that so hard for some of us? What does it mean to trust? What are some inhibitors that make it difficult for us to trust God? And is this not our responsibility to resolve? I don't presume to have all the answers for this dilemma (and to be sure there are many more inhibitors). I thought I would offer a few to explore, analyze and propose solutions to:


1) We find it hard to trust because we are fearful.
2) We find it hard because we listen to the voice of doubt.
3) We don't practice activities that instill or build our trust in Him.

1) We find it hard to trust because we are fearful.

Researchers say babies are born with only two fears (1) the fear of loud noises and (2) the fear of falling. All other fears are therefore presumed to be learned. An acrostic for FEAR is: False Evidence Appearing Real. I don't know who originally coined this acrostic (nor is that important) but the implications of it are very significant. Many people in the bible were fearful and they either failed to attain what God had desired for them, or they simply missed the mark of what they otherwise could have attained. 

2) We find it hard because we listen to the voice of doubt.


I don't know why God developed a system that requires faith in Him and that Jesus is His Son, but that is the way it is structured. When you are the boss, you don't really have to explain your rules (not that our tiny minds could really understand them). When you are the boss, you explain your policies and rules and that communicates the expectation for the employees to follow. So much of what the bible states is counter intuitive to our minds because our minds are naturally carnal or worldly. We doubt things that don't make sense to our frame of reference. So when we read about God becoming a man and dying on the cross for our sins, our minds struggle with trying to understand...and we doubt. We doubt that we can accept such an explanation for how the world came to be and it makes no sense to pray or have telepathic communication with an invisible being in hopes that our thoughts, hopes and aspirations would be heard and understood...and yet this is the system God established for us to access Him.


We doubt the things we don't understand, even if those things are true. Some of us struggle to come to a place where we accept what the definition of 'truth' is. Some think its subjective; what is true for you is fine and what is true for me (while it may be different) is fine too. So we rationalize that we can have different 'truths' as it pertains the the same subject. This is the basis for 'all roads lead to the same place' argument. The notion of a single and absolute truth is intuitive up to the point that it does not fit our desired opinion of what we want the truth to be...the bible tells us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and those that would worship Him must do so in Spirit and in Truth. This means in order to know God, you must believe and accept there is one version of the truth.

3) We don't practice activities that instill or build our trust in Him.


Have you noticed that even the greatest sports athletes must practice in order to stay on top of their game? They will often practice the fundamentals of their sport until it is second nature and from there, they can improvise having already internalized what they need to do from a foundational standpoint. This allows a basket ball player to step up to the foul line and have greater confidence, or trust that he or she will sink those clutch free throws and win the game. It also allows for their teammates to share that same trust for the game's outcome. You see, it is the practice of free throws that builds the trust that when one needs to make them in a game setting, those shots will be made. I believe there is a correlation between practicing activities that build confidence in sports and doing the same in the 'game of life'. And when it comes to trusting God, we have an opportunity to perform or practice activities that will build our confidence or trust in Him as well. The bible states 'faith without works is dead' which implies that one must perform works to accompany one's stated faith. The works, or the action is the 'active' ingredient that becomes the building blocks upon which greater trust and confidence can be derived.