Don't hit my kid!

Here's an exercise (if you're willing...):
If you have children
1) I want you to think about them (still as children growing up, for those of you with grown offspring.) Now that you are thinking about your children, I want you to think about somebody else (other than you) raising them.

How do you feel?
.
..
...
....
[**my reaction, maybe yours: sad? chest pains? hard to swallow?]

2) Now I want you to imagine that this other person, who is raising your children, abuses them. Hurts them.

Now, how do you feel?
.
..
...
....
[**my reflex, maybe yours: outraged? gut wrenching? Unable to focus? sit still?]

I believe this may give us some insight as to how God feels....when he sees us giving in to the spirit of the world. (1 Cor 2:12, Eph 2:2, Gal 4:3) Watching that show we shouldn't. Listening to a conversation we shouldn't. Accepting the world's standards as our own. As we subject ourselves to the spirit of this world I believe that spirit is, in a way, "parenting" us. It is shaping our values, influencing our thoughts, and moulding our hearts.

And it is hurting us.

God, our Creator, our "Father in heaven," he calls us his own. We ARE his children. He made us. He loves us. He wants us. And I believe He must feel like you and I feel at the thought of someone ELSE raising our children... and on top of that, hurting our children.

A jealous God? I would be. And a broken-hearted God, too. No wonder the messiah was prophesied to be a "man of sorrows." (Isa 53:3) I must admit... I cannot think of something more sorrowful than another person raising my children and hurting them. (And my children choosing that!)

O sweet Lord. God of Abraham. I don't want to hurt you by putting myself under this worldly spirit. I want your Holy Spirit. Be my Abba, my daddy. Raise me. Show me your ways....that I might walk in them.

one free man