One of my favorite people in the entire world is a two-year-old boy affectionately named “Buhlee”. Buhlee is the first child of two of my closest friends and he’s all around awesome. He’s cute as hell, tons of fun, and even though he is just beginning to speak in full sentences I’m convinced that we are close… close friends. Sometimes when I’m with him, we play catch, or we chase each other, sometimes we even both strip down to our diapers and run around outside and take pictures (j/k, j/k that hasn’t actually happened… yet).
One of the reasons I enjoy hanging with this two year old boy so much is because he reminds me of the days when my spirit was just like his. He helps me remember the good old days, you know what I mean...
when you trusted your environment and the people in it so much that I could leap first and ask questions later,
when everyone was your friend and playmate,
when you weren’t concerned with the pressures or worries of tomorrow but you could fully embrace ever moment,
when your imagination was so vivid that a cardboard box or a plastic bag could be the source of entertainment for hours.
Those were the days, and today when I have a paper due, a test tomorrow, an 8-hour work shift tonight, plus a 2-hour commute, I lonnnnnng for those days, and my longing for those days goes much deeper than an escape from a busy schedule.
When I think about Buhlee I think about Jesus, especially because Jesus said things like, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” and "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these". Wow, what a thought. Jesus isn’t saying that we should always act like little children and never mature, he’s saying that there are qualities in children that are necessary for us to experience God as He is and life as He intends it.
Jesus is urging us to bring our imagination, our ability to love and trust freely, our ability to enjoy each moment, and our ability to experience true contentment regardless of circumstance from childhood into our adult years. These qualities are not those of a child, these are qualities of a human, whole and free. That is the plan of God for us, that we may be whole and complete not lacking any good thing. Thanks Buhlee.
Love, Life, Christ,
Riis
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
One Big Baby
When people are pregnant it seems to be a popular thing to take pictures of the mom every week or so to show people the progress. So consider this post an inside look into my pregnancy, or something like that.
From not getting a visa on time and missing multiple flights, to family issues, the Enemy has tampered with this process in more ways than I can share. Which means this must be a big baby - one too big for him to have ignored (By big, I mean important.) But this seems to be how he operates, there are tons of big babies throughout the Scriptures and there seems to be a common thread...Adversity
Moses is almost killed as a baby.
Hannah is barren before having Samuel.
Abraham and Sarah are pretty much old as tree bark when God says He will give them a child. Sarah actually finds this hilarious as would any normal human, but all of a sudden you got Isaac running around looking like Abraham should be his grandfather's grandfather.
Not only does King Herod try to kill baby Jesus, but good ol' Mary was a virgin. There's no other way for me to describe this besides God simply showing off.
Rachel, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Samson's mother... you get the point right?
Big Babies get Satan's attention... I've gotten used to it. The alternative is to just have small babies. There are lots of Christians with small babies... small vision, small dreams, small goals, small lives, small impact, small risks, small faith. They don't bother Satan and I actually think he leaves them alone too. Big babies draw attention, and they also hurt more, so I've heard. Not only does Satan attack, but our humanity rebels against our faith when we begin to carry a big vision.
Satan's attack on my life and my family has not stopped and if I know him well he will probably try HARDER. But if I know myself this means I'll become STRONGER and if I know God that means this baby is going to get BIGGER.
Walking by Faith, from Across the Pond
Manny Arango
From not getting a visa on time and missing multiple flights, to family issues, the Enemy has tampered with this process in more ways than I can share. Which means this must be a big baby - one too big for him to have ignored (By big, I mean important.) But this seems to be how he operates, there are tons of big babies throughout the Scriptures and there seems to be a common thread...Adversity
Moses is almost killed as a baby.
Hannah is barren before having Samuel.
Abraham and Sarah are pretty much old as tree bark when God says He will give them a child. Sarah actually finds this hilarious as would any normal human, but all of a sudden you got Isaac running around looking like Abraham should be his grandfather's grandfather.
Not only does King Herod try to kill baby Jesus, but good ol' Mary was a virgin. There's no other way for me to describe this besides God simply showing off.
Rachel, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Samson's mother... you get the point right?
Big Babies get Satan's attention... I've gotten used to it. The alternative is to just have small babies. There are lots of Christians with small babies... small vision, small dreams, small goals, small lives, small impact, small risks, small faith. They don't bother Satan and I actually think he leaves them alone too. Big babies draw attention, and they also hurt more, so I've heard. Not only does Satan attack, but our humanity rebels against our faith when we begin to carry a big vision.
Satan's attack on my life and my family has not stopped and if I know him well he will probably try HARDER. But if I know myself this means I'll become STRONGER and if I know God that means this baby is going to get BIGGER.
Walking by Faith, from Across the Pond
Manny Arango
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
