Often in a child's growth and development, in a healthy home, the ability to speak and comprehend speech is something that comes in stages. What brings comfort and contentment to the youngest baby can be as simple as to gaze on the face of their parent and be in their presence. When they cry they might not even be aware of how to verbally express their need if given the chance. As they grow their cooing turns into a imitation of the words they hear, but again their own words still fall short of understandable. Honing of this gift of speech continues until a child can string together broken sentences of conversation with an attentive parent. This season in the growth of a young one is nothing short of adorable as a toddler may struggle to understand, but also achieve the diction and vocabulary of their parents. Time goes on and voices mature. The age may come to let go of our baby talk however adorable it may have been. To hold on to the habits of our youth can become a handicap in our lives if it stops us from the growth intended. While the teenage years may bring growing pains, it is the time that a father can sit down with his son in conversation. Along with the father's words come value of the son's input. The child is growing and his experience now has a more mature viewpoint. The parent and the child might even take part in shared tasks, in which, the responsibility is lopsided, but shared.
I think what I strive to be next is this. A teenager who has seen enough of the world to know his place, and confident enough to know that my Father values my voice. God is patient in our growth. Sometimes we remain in our infant hood longer than is necessary. When we are born again into His kingdom our voice is shaky and frail. Not wholely confident in our place or in God's role in our lives. We are content though in His presence. As we grow spiritually though so does our need, but also our capacity. As we understand more of His direction, so comes the opportunity to be useful in His kingdom. He reveals things unknown to us and points us do things and say things that would have not been within our realm of understanding. It is in this interaction that relationship grows. The attentive craning of our ears to the whisper of His voice until we no longer are unsure. When He speaks, we listen. When we hear, we act. When we act, big things happen. Things that when we look back on, we realize we're bigger than ourselves, and grander than our imaginings.
Commentaires