Blog
Posted by: Miguel Zayas - 12/16/08 @ 11:37AM
There is so much happiness that comes with the thoughts from a baby’s first step. If you are a parent, a cousin, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandma or grandpa isn’t it true that when you saw the first steps of your baby that it brought a smile to your face and heart?
Up until that moment this little one was totally dependant on you. You had to feed them, clean them, watch over them, burp them, de-gas them…that is always fun…
You stayed up late at night watching them sleep to see what they would do next. You would dream about their future, pray about their future, think thoughts of hope for their future.
I remember for each of our children I would hold them and sing to them. I sang the only Spanish song I know. I would make promises to them that I would do my best to be the best example to them to teach them by my actions what it would mean to be a person of integrity, honesty and belief.
All I wanted to do was to make sure that they would NEVER have problems, NEVER have struggles, NEVER have disappointments, and NEVER have heartache, NEVER experience loss.
As we prepare ourselves for what is inevitable the growing-up process, we already begin to plan what we would like for our kids to do or become. We dream about who they might become, and every thing they do we see as part of their personality or character.
Then that day comes, when that little one takes their first steps…
1. 1st Baby Step – Independence
You know that when that baby takes their first steps it means that everything you thought was safe is now unsafe…all your pictures, trinkets, glass vases, remote controls…they are all fair game for your child.
All the doors in the kitchen and bathrooms now have to be locked some way, all the sharp corners on tables need to be padded…you really would rather the kid came with a helmet or something!
Luke 2:1-7 – (6) While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, (7) and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son, she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Here is this new mother and father with all the confusion of emotions that come with being a parent…am I going to be a good mom or a good dad? Am I going to be able to provide for my family as we grow? Now get this, Mary new that this son was not a normal son…He was and is the Son of God!
Like any parent Mary and Joseph hoped for greatness in their child. They had some inside info that Jesus was going to be different than most, but being a first time parent scares even the most secure people.
Our first steps as baby’s means that we are beginning the process of independence. Our first steps takes us on the path of independence. This independence is something that is elusive because we can never truly be independent.
When Jesus was 12 he flexed his independence when his family and he traveled to Jerusalem for a census. After spending several days in Jerusalem Mary and Joseph headed back to their home town and noticed that Jesus was missing. He stayed behind to hang out in the church to talk with the teachers, preachers…wow Jesus liked to talk with people like me…
We think that independence means freedom, because now that we are finally free from the restrictions of our parents, the rules that governed how we lived and with whom we lived it. But then a day comes when you realize that independence was only a dream.
Because in life we realize that none of us are really free from the responsibilities that come with being human in a productive society.
We move from being babies, to toddlers, to kindergarten, to school to teens. From babies to teens it seems that freedom and independence is what motivates us to grow up. Because now that I am 16 I know I can’t drink legally but just wait…I will be 18 and then I can. I want my drivers license so I can drive any car to be free.
It is our own passions and desires that tricks us into thinking that all I want is to be free! I want to be my own person and do what I want to do. And then we look at God or maybe have only looked at God as a person who only wants to restrict us and gives us a bunch of rules that we only want to break.
So we assume that independence from God is freedom.
2. 2nd Baby Step – Inter-dependant
But then we move beyond the teens into young adults and we begin to realize that freedom is not FREE…and that we are really not independent people but we are inter-dependent.
We begin to realize that I cannot live life by myself on my own and be productive. We begin to grow up and see that we in fact need people more than just ourselves so that we can grow more.
Jesus knew He had a work to do, His job would ultimately effect and infect all of human history. But guess what…He did not do it alone.
Jesus chose 12 people who were going to help Him and then help everyone.
Even Jesus who was born in a manger, grew up in a carpenters home, realized that He was the Son of God, baptized by John in the river Jordan, for 40 days was led into the wild to be tempted by the devil himself (his archenemy), came back in the power of the Spirit into Jerusalem, and turned water into wine as His first miracle…nice trick…even He needed to chose 12 who would help Him achieve His goals, whom Jesus poured His life into, and into whom Jesus gave the power of God to do the same as He did…Even Jesus needed more than just doing it alone…
And we, if we let ourselves stay as a teen in our thinking about God we can look around and say I don’t need God, I am my own person I am my own King…and be totally blind to what God had intended for us.
If I wanted to be a doctor I need a teacher, If I want to be a musician I need a teacher, If I wanted to play professional sports I need a coach, If I want to be a good mother or father I need a role model, If I want to be a good Christ follower I need an example…
We begin to find out that inter-dependence is more of what this life is about.
Hebrews 5:12-14 - For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
How do we define what is right or wrong? We take the practices, models, explanations, examples of others and we define right and wrong…
But how do we define God? How do we understand Him? When for so many people there are no examples accept false ones? How can we make judgments about God when we have not experienced Him, listened to Him when all of our lives we in fact run from the idea of doing that?
Some say, well Church and God are for the weak, the women and the children…who told you that?
Some say that the church is filled with hypocrites, how many have you met?
There comes a time in our baby step process that if we allow ourselves the room to see it we will find that God has been there all the time waiting for us to turn to Him and see who is really is for ourselves.
3. 3rd Baby Step – Dependant
And then the miracle begins to take shape. The Christmas story which you may have heard once a year begins to make some sense…Imagine this.
The God who made everything came to earth to pursue you, He did not come riding a white horse, but instead came in the most humblest of ways as a baby…totally dependent on his mom and dad for everything.
Yes, the angels sang and the wise men came with gifts but He Jesus was still a baby.
And then we begin to get the picture of the greatest miracle of all…that Jesus showed us and modeled for us how we are to live, how we are to act, how we are to respond…like a little child completely dependent on mom and dad.
As we begin to trust God we realize that He is completely trustworthy. As we put our faith in God we find that He is completely faithful. As we ask God for Grace we discover that he is full of grace. As we seek God for Mercy we understand the He is totally merciful!
Today is a day of baby steps for us all…
Each of us are somewhere on this journey from independence to dependence. My question for you is where are you today?
As we come to this point I ask the question who is willing to take a baby step toward Jesus. Who is willing to say that I am not capable on my own to bring me peace, and hope?
Today, Jesus stands at the door of our hearts and He is standing there knocking asking to be let in, and if we open our hearts to Him, Jesus said that He and the Father would come and live in you!
Today is your day to ask Jesus to be a part of your life from this day forward. To say Jesus I need you.
Up until that moment this little one was totally dependant on you. You had to feed them, clean them, watch over them, burp them, de-gas them…that is always fun…
You stayed up late at night watching them sleep to see what they would do next. You would dream about their future, pray about their future, think thoughts of hope for their future.
I remember for each of our children I would hold them and sing to them. I sang the only Spanish song I know. I would make promises to them that I would do my best to be the best example to them to teach them by my actions what it would mean to be a person of integrity, honesty and belief.
All I wanted to do was to make sure that they would NEVER have problems, NEVER have struggles, NEVER have disappointments, and NEVER have heartache, NEVER experience loss.
As we prepare ourselves for what is inevitable the growing-up process, we already begin to plan what we would like for our kids to do or become. We dream about who they might become, and every thing they do we see as part of their personality or character.
Then that day comes, when that little one takes their first steps…
1. 1st Baby Step – Independence
You know that when that baby takes their first steps it means that everything you thought was safe is now unsafe…all your pictures, trinkets, glass vases, remote controls…they are all fair game for your child.
All the doors in the kitchen and bathrooms now have to be locked some way, all the sharp corners on tables need to be padded…you really would rather the kid came with a helmet or something!
Luke 2:1-7 – (6) While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, (7) and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son, she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Here is this new mother and father with all the confusion of emotions that come with being a parent…am I going to be a good mom or a good dad? Am I going to be able to provide for my family as we grow? Now get this, Mary new that this son was not a normal son…He was and is the Son of God!
Like any parent Mary and Joseph hoped for greatness in their child. They had some inside info that Jesus was going to be different than most, but being a first time parent scares even the most secure people.
Our first steps as baby’s means that we are beginning the process of independence. Our first steps takes us on the path of independence. This independence is something that is elusive because we can never truly be independent.
When Jesus was 12 he flexed his independence when his family and he traveled to Jerusalem for a census. After spending several days in Jerusalem Mary and Joseph headed back to their home town and noticed that Jesus was missing. He stayed behind to hang out in the church to talk with the teachers, preachers…wow Jesus liked to talk with people like me…
We think that independence means freedom, because now that we are finally free from the restrictions of our parents, the rules that governed how we lived and with whom we lived it. But then a day comes when you realize that independence was only a dream.
Because in life we realize that none of us are really free from the responsibilities that come with being human in a productive society.
We move from being babies, to toddlers, to kindergarten, to school to teens. From babies to teens it seems that freedom and independence is what motivates us to grow up. Because now that I am 16 I know I can’t drink legally but just wait…I will be 18 and then I can. I want my drivers license so I can drive any car to be free.
It is our own passions and desires that tricks us into thinking that all I want is to be free! I want to be my own person and do what I want to do. And then we look at God or maybe have only looked at God as a person who only wants to restrict us and gives us a bunch of rules that we only want to break.
So we assume that independence from God is freedom.
2. 2nd Baby Step – Inter-dependant
But then we move beyond the teens into young adults and we begin to realize that freedom is not FREE…and that we are really not independent people but we are inter-dependent.
We begin to realize that I cannot live life by myself on my own and be productive. We begin to grow up and see that we in fact need people more than just ourselves so that we can grow more.
Jesus knew He had a work to do, His job would ultimately effect and infect all of human history. But guess what…He did not do it alone.
Jesus chose 12 people who were going to help Him and then help everyone.
Even Jesus who was born in a manger, grew up in a carpenters home, realized that He was the Son of God, baptized by John in the river Jordan, for 40 days was led into the wild to be tempted by the devil himself (his archenemy), came back in the power of the Spirit into Jerusalem, and turned water into wine as His first miracle…nice trick…even He needed to chose 12 who would help Him achieve His goals, whom Jesus poured His life into, and into whom Jesus gave the power of God to do the same as He did…Even Jesus needed more than just doing it alone…
And we, if we let ourselves stay as a teen in our thinking about God we can look around and say I don’t need God, I am my own person I am my own King…and be totally blind to what God had intended for us.
If I wanted to be a doctor I need a teacher, If I want to be a musician I need a teacher, If I wanted to play professional sports I need a coach, If I want to be a good mother or father I need a role model, If I want to be a good Christ follower I need an example…
We begin to find out that inter-dependence is more of what this life is about.
Hebrews 5:12-14 - For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
How do we define what is right or wrong? We take the practices, models, explanations, examples of others and we define right and wrong…
But how do we define God? How do we understand Him? When for so many people there are no examples accept false ones? How can we make judgments about God when we have not experienced Him, listened to Him when all of our lives we in fact run from the idea of doing that?
Some say, well Church and God are for the weak, the women and the children…who told you that?
Some say that the church is filled with hypocrites, how many have you met?
There comes a time in our baby step process that if we allow ourselves the room to see it we will find that God has been there all the time waiting for us to turn to Him and see who is really is for ourselves.
3. 3rd Baby Step – Dependant
And then the miracle begins to take shape. The Christmas story which you may have heard once a year begins to make some sense…Imagine this.
The God who made everything came to earth to pursue you, He did not come riding a white horse, but instead came in the most humblest of ways as a baby…totally dependent on his mom and dad for everything.
Yes, the angels sang and the wise men came with gifts but He Jesus was still a baby.
And then we begin to get the picture of the greatest miracle of all…that Jesus showed us and modeled for us how we are to live, how we are to act, how we are to respond…like a little child completely dependent on mom and dad.
As we begin to trust God we realize that He is completely trustworthy. As we put our faith in God we find that He is completely faithful. As we ask God for Grace we discover that he is full of grace. As we seek God for Mercy we understand the He is totally merciful!
Today is a day of baby steps for us all…
Each of us are somewhere on this journey from independence to dependence. My question for you is where are you today?
As we come to this point I ask the question who is willing to take a baby step toward Jesus. Who is willing to say that I am not capable on my own to bring me peace, and hope?
Today, Jesus stands at the door of our hearts and He is standing there knocking asking to be let in, and if we open our hearts to Him, Jesus said that He and the Father would come and live in you!
Today is your day to ask Jesus to be a part of your life from this day forward. To say Jesus I need you.
