I am learning a lot from Maycie these days and her most recent lesson is one that has left a bit of a lasting impression. We try our best to train Maycie so that she will be prepared to deal with things in this world, but it is always very evident that she has a will of her own.Last week, she was playing with some friends of ours and decided to get into one of their daughter’s dresser drawers. This is something she is not allowed to do, but decided since we weren’t there it would be okay. So she pulled the drawer out too far, and it landed squarely on her big toe. She didn’t cry very much, maybe because she knew what she did was wrong and her fault and was trying to hide it. Or maybe it was because she killed all her nerve endings in the big toe. Whatever the case, she learned the hard way.
As a parent it is clear to me that the limits I have set for Maycie are there to protect her, and help prepare her for life. They are not there to limit her enjoyment of life. How different is that from the Garden of Eden? God set limits on Adam and Eve and their sin was simply questioning God’s character. They felt God was holding out on them so when “He wasn’t looking” they tried living their own way and we’ve been struggling with it ever since. How much easier would life be if I just took God at His word? What if I took God’s advice and listened when He says,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
How many other amazing pieces of advice has God given us to follow? I think if I started listening to God with the same kind of obedience that I expect from Maycie, my life might look a bit different. Maybe I’d quit smashing toes, and start living a life that has all the joy and reward that God can clearly see that it should have.