The meltdown had come out of nowhere. His mom managed bath time as quickly as possible and held him through the snubs that followed. The embodiment of sheer exhaustion, Thomas climbed into bed, giggled once subconsciously, exhaled and was instantly asleep.
Thomas will be three next week and he embraces life with such passion. He loves music and can recognize a song by only a few words and readily sings along. Everything is a drum. He still loves being read to, he’s recently taken up golf and he’s actually pretty good. He’s so focused that when he suddenly flies apart, it’s easy to excuse. After all, he’s only (almost) three. There will come a point, however, when such behavior will be unacceptable, an age of accountability beyond which childish behaviors must not tarry.
“When I was a child, I spoke about childish matters, for I saw things like a child and reasoned like a child.
But the day came when I matured, and I set aside my childish ways.”
1 Corinthians 13:11 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1co.13.11.TPT
There must be a shift as we grow and mature, a movement away from self-preoccupation and self-justification. This is true psychologically and spiritually. I thought about this as I watched the sudden rainfall on the surface of the lake. We’ve become so self-absorbed as a culture, yet when you see the surface of water rippling in even the lightest of rain, it’s easy to see how each drop affects every other. Were we to look below the surface or be able to measure the continual interaction of the water molecules, once rain and pool, now commingled, shift and settle, run downstream, or return to the clouds through evaporation, we’d have an even clearer picture of how our lives are undeniably interconnected.
No wonder Paul interrupted his letter addressing individual spiritual gifting within the body of Christ with his well known treatise on love. Human nature is our default setting. As Eve was first deceived, we are conditioned to ask, “what am I missing?” “What about me?” We say things like, “if I don’t look out for myself, no one will.” Selfish interest motivates all sorts of immature and irrational behaviors, but Paul, like Jesus, encourages laying self aside entirely.
“Jesus said to all of his followers, “If you truly desire to be my disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace my ‘cross’ as your own, and surrender to my ways.
For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for my glory, you will discover true life.
But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will lose what you try to keep.
Even if you gained all the wealth and power of this world, and all the things it could offer you, yet lost your soul in the process, what good is that?”
Luke 9:23-25 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/luk.9.23-25.TPT
Jesus is not asking us to do something He was not willing to do first. He died in our place by His own will and purpose.
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:5-8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/php.2.5-8.NLT
“So does belonging to Christ help you in any way?
Does his love comfort you at all?
Do you share anything in common because of the Holy Spirit?
Has Christ ever been gentle and loving toward you?
If any of these things has happened to you, then agree with one another.
Have the same love.
“Love is large and incredibly patient.
Love is gentle and consistently kind to all.
It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else.
Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance.
Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor.
Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.
Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong.
Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others.
Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.”
Be one in spirit and in the way you think and act.
By doing this, you will make my joy complete.
Don’t do anything only to get ahead.
Don’t do it because you are proud.
Instead, be humble.
Value others more than yourselves.
None of you should look out just for your own good.
Each of you should also look out for the good of others.
As you deal with one another, you should think and act as Jesus did.”
Philippians 2:1-5 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/php.2.1-5.NIRV
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1co.13.4-7.TPT)
“Then we will no longer be immature like children.
We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.
We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.
As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
Ephesians 4:14-16 NLT
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