Running To The Giver Of Life

Lex has entered that painful phase of life I like to call, "Learning No." (let's be honest, once you enter that phase, I'm not sure that you ever get out of it...HaHa!)

What Lex doesn't yet know is that the establishment of boundaries is key to his success in life --- as a man, a citizen, and a follower of Christ.

Boundaries are key:
This is acceptable.
That is not.
Go here.
Don't go there.
Access allowed.
No trespassing.
Lex is in for a lifetime of boundaries.

Meg and I laugh every time we enter the room and Lex is doing something that he knows is a, "no."

For instance, if I walk into the room and he's reaching for the computer keyboard, all I have to say now is, "hey, Bud." He turns and gives me that deer-in-headlights look. Then, his brow furrows and his bottom lip goes square. Next, the tears flow. He knows that he is crossing a boundary.

While the process is emotionally agonizing and he doesn't yet understand why I don't want him to do things like stick his finger in that socket, I have noticed an amazing thing in Lex's behavior: as soon as I tell him, "no", he may indeed cry. But no sooner do the tears stream down his cheeks before he is running toward me, arms open wide. He knows that even though Daddy has established the boundary, Daddy will also give him comfort. He knows that, even though I am the one that brings pain, I am also the giver of life. (in the most human sense and not the divine sense, of course)

What an amazing child-like faith!

As he was lying in my arms the other day, I began to think: there will be a time when his sin-nature will cause him to not only test (and often cross) the boundaries but also he will run away from the boundary-maker, the giver of life.

He won't run to Daddy's arms forever. Somewhere along the line, he will believe the lie that Daddy doesn't actually want the best for him. He will believe that those people who cross the boundaries are the ones finding life. He may even blame Daddy for being a withholder, an accusation about his father that is utterly false.

I wonder: how often do we trust God's discipline? How often do we submit to the boundaries established by our Heavenly Father?
Or...
How often do we shrug off the Lord's boundaries? How often do we see God as a withholder --- rather than viewing Him as the Giver of Life.

Hosea 6:1 says, "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, and He will heal us; He has wounded us, and He will bind up our wounds."

While the process of learning boundaries can be painful, emotionally agonizing and often leads to tearing and wounding, God is faithful to "heal us" and to "bind up our wounds."

Instead of turning from God, what if we said, "Come, let us return to the Lord"?
Instead of running from Him, what if we ran into the His arms... the arms of the Giver of Life.
Wouldn't that be exceptional!

By the by, for a great book on the boundaries, click here. (that's my momma's book, ya'll!)