Last night I caught my seven-year-old son trying to sneak a nutella snack pack AND a package of fruit snacks into his room right before bed. His ingenious plan? Hiding the treats in his socks. His SOCKS! He might have actually succeeded if it hadn’t been for the distinct sound of plastic packaging crunching against his little ankles.
I have to admit that as I shook my head and confiscated the “stolen merchandise,” I had to hide a smile. I wasn’t thrilled with the sneaky behavior (there WILL be consequences) but I was slightly amused with his creativity.
It kind of makes me wonder how often my Heavenly Father shakes his head and smiles knowingly at my “creative” antics. How often have I tried to slide under the radar of righteousness or rationalized an unbecoming behavior?
God doesn’t need crinkling plastic packaging to reveal my sin. He is well aware of my public and private indiscretions. But His amazing father heart, loves me just the same.
That being said, are there still consequences for our poor choices and rebellious behavior? Absolutely. Scripture tells us that God disciplines the ones he loves, just as a father disciplines the child he delights in (proverbs 3:12).
Without consequences and correction, we would wander far from God’s blessings and the abundant life that he offers us. Sometimes painful, but very necessary, God’s discipline brings us back into right relationship with Him and his divine promises.
What a blessing to know that when we acknowledge and confess our sin, God is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)!
My young son has a lot of life lessons to learn and growing up to do. No doubt, there will be plenty of “creative” encounters and character-building moments that we will have to navigate together in the not so distant future.
I wish I could say that this is just the case for him… but who am I kidding?! I still have a lot of learning and growing to do myself. Thankfully, I have an amazing Abba Father who loves and delights in me and is deeply invested in my (and YOUR) journey of personal and spiritual development.
“Lord, thank you for your overwhelming grace and the unconditional love that you lavish so freely upon us. You have such a gentle and enduring, Father’s heart for us. How often do we get off track? Yet, you consistently guide us back home again! Your faithfulness is amazing! We are humbled and in awe of your care and devotion. May we seek your face, listen for your voice, and humbly honor and obey your wise direction and correction. You are a good, good Father. And we are cherished and loved children of God.”
Christy Engelhart 