Do you remember having your first child? New Life. Nothing is better than holding your child for the very first time. I have had the privilege of doing that with each of my three children and the feeling never changes. The feeling is always the same.
In the first few months of new life, a child is totally dependent upon their parents to take care of them. Feeding them. Bathing them. Changing their diapers. Putting them to bed. Feeding, changing, bed time going on and on and on. Daily. Hourly. Minute by minute. It’s a never ending responsibility that mimics each day that goes by.
Little by little the child becomes more and more independent and begins to make those decisions for themselves. They want to feed themselves. They want to go to the bathroom by themselves. They learn how to go to bed and go to sleep without boundaries such as a crib. Child raising is a growing process of going from total dependence to total independence.
As our children grow into adults, they make decisions that a parent may or may not agree with, but as an adult, they are in total control of their choices and the consequences of their choices. Total independence.
Each of these developments of raising children along the way bring tremendous joy along with various challenges. Infancy. Toddlerhood. Young childhood phase. Pre-adolescent. Adolescent. Young adulthood.
On Sunday, I experienced my young adult daughter Victoria make a decision that brought tremendous joy to my heart. She decided to get baptized in our church which signifies the dying to self and her old ways, and making a commitment to live for God. It’s choosing a new life pattern for her life. It’s not that she was going down wrong paths or making wrong decisions. She is a wonderful person and I love her dearly. She decided on her own that she wanted Christ Jesus to rule her life and guide her in her future decisions, and wanted to make that commitment public by being baptized in front of the church body that we attend. New life in Christ is moving in the opposite direction of natural new life. It is moving from total independence to total dependence upon God. The picture below captures the experience.
I am reminded of the passage in III John 4 which says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” New life in Christ can’t be measured in wealth or dollars and cents. It is priceless to see that our children are making good decisions and are seeking the truth from the God who knows all truth.
Sometimes the journey brings to us inexpressible joy which I experienced yesterday. I will never forget the new life that comes when we turn our journey over to Him.
