Of Bottles, Bears, Blame, and Being God’s Child

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2

Have you ever been around a baby in the process of being weaned from the bottle?  Or, tried to take that favorite teddy bear away?  

It’s not a pretty picture.

As grownups, I think we tend to hang on to our hurts in the same way.  Rather than acknowledging our own sins and flaws, we tend to hold very tightly to suffering, personal traumas, and bad experiences, and we play the blame game rather than acknowledging we live in a fallen world and must forgive, forget, and move forward in gratitude.  We become trapped in that unweaned state, carrying our hurt like a bottle and teddy bear, and we can’t even begin to see how ridiculous we look.

 

The devil whispers, “You can’t make it without the hurts, and you must never forget what happened to you.  They are your security.”  We believe the lie.  After all, it’s comfortable and we want someone or something to blame besides examining ourselves and acknowledging that God is enough.

But like a good parent who painfully endures our crying, screaming, and begging to keep the bottle and bear, God lovingly reminds us that He is our security.  He is enough.  Letting go of hurt and fear, and holding on to Him is how we grow.

Colossians 2:7 says, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (NLT).

It is the only way we will ever be who God wants us to be and finally be weaned from the world around us.

Will you give up the bottle and turn over the teddy bear today?

Goodnight, Runners.