Toddler silliness can quickly escalate to ugliness. Hitting, pushing, or biting seem to come out of nowhere but if you’re paying attention, it has usually been building gradually toward a crescendo. Either both want to do the same thing or simply don’t want the other to do it. The most recent incident involved opening the window blinds in the playroom. Thomas knows how to raise the roller shades but he also knows he’s not allowed to touch them unless he asks and has supervision. This rule is in place for the safety of the children and for the longevity of my blinds as they were quickly becoming a toy.
Amelia, being younger and quite frankly just being Amelia, decided she would open the shade anyway. I heard Thomas remind her in his authoritative toddler voice not to touch it. Apparently he also reached out either to hold the blind or her hand and she bit him. The teeth marks were still evident at dinner. When Thomas came to announce the situation to me, holding his hand up for inspection, I expected him to say she bit me. Instead, he said she put her germs on me. The proverbial cooties strike again. She has had a bit of a cold and the mothers and I have been trying to help the toddlers understand germs so they will stop putting things in their mouths, namely their hands, and so they will stay out of each others faces, especially the infant siblings. Amelia had broken both rules but apparently germs are worse than bite marks.
I saw the sword of the Spirit at work upstairs that morning in the playroom and though I may know better than to bite and spread germs, I am prone to snapping in frustration or spreading negativity rather than the joy of the Lord. Thomas and Amelia didn’t even realize what was happening but I saw it and it was beautiful. David wrote, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart so I won’t sin against God.” (Psalm 119:11) Rather than repeating something silly until things turned ugly, Thomas started singing- not just any song, however- and Amelia picked up the tune.
This is the day
(This is the day)
That the Lord has made
(That the Lord has made)
I will rejoice
(I will rejoice)
And be glad in it
(And be glad in it)
This is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice and be glad in it
This is the day
(This is the day)
That the Lord has made
(Psalm 118:24)
The smiles on their faces radiated joy and they were back to playing together, both looking to me for approval. Amelia loves to sing, she loves this song, and she loves Thomas. Biting him definitely wasn’t premeditated. He simply got in the way of her getting what she wanted. Not three minutes later, they were singing happily together, the window blind still down but entirely forgotten. Given the right tools, even a toddler can wield the sword of the Spirit with power.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.
Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Hebrews 4:12-16 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/heb.4.12-16.NLT
Think for a minute. Where and when do you need mercy and grace most? Just now. Just since yesterday. We all have triggers. Certain people rub us the wrong way. Things tempt us beyond our ability to stand. Old habits lurk about in dark corners. There’s that phone call we’ve been putting off or those words that shouldn’t have been said at all, much less aloud. Crises bring out the best and the worst in us. Just this past week, I’ve had the opportunity to be a good neighbor and assist in clearing limbs while at the same time, being impatiently pent up without power. I was grateful to God for the cooler temperatures while the power was out while still stewing that my plans were interrupted.
“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind.
This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
Oh, what a miserable person I am!
Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 7:15, 18-19, 21-25 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.7.15-25.NLT
Some of Paul’s letters to the churches were written from Rome while he was a prisoner awaiting trial. When God dispatched Ananias from Damascus to lay hands on Paul so that his sight would be restored after God had blinded him to get Paul’s attention, God promised Ananias, “And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” (Acts of the Apostles 9:16 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/act.9.16.NLT) Paul was young and intelligent, headstrong and filled with hatred for those turning away from Judaism because of Jesus, so much so that he asked for letters permitting him to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem to be tried. He was Judas to the early church, yet he is also who God used to take the gospel to the Gentiles. He is credited with writing much of our New Testament and his writing is rich with Old Testament knowledge. He was only serving himself and a broken system when he thought he was working for God. Jesus stopped him in his tracks and for the rest of his life, he was all about Jesus.
“My true life is the Anointed One, and dying means gaining more of him.”
Philippians 1:21 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/php.1.21.TPT
“For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].”
Philippians 1:21 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/php.1.21.AMP
“If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.”
2 Corinthians 11:30 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.11.30.NLT
“Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.12.9-10.NLT
Everything is exposed in the eye of the One to whom we will give account. Adam and Eve could not hide their guilt or their nakedness from God. Paul could not hide his true motives. You and I cannot fool God either. We will reap what we sow, and God has made it possible for us to sow eternal seeds that will yield a bountiful harvest beyond all that we could ask for or imagine in Christ Jesus.
“God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest.
The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted.
If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption.
If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.”
Galatians 6:7-8 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/gal.6.7-8.TPT
I’ve heard that God’s mercy is not getting what we deserve, while His grace is receiving what we could never earn. Paul summed it up nicely, as he did so many spiritual things, in his letters to the churches. Those letters were passed around to be read by all believers and they have been handed down to us. How we respond to them, what we do with the information they contain, says everything about what we believe because Jesus said, “if you love Me, obey my commands.” (John 14:15)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/rom.6.23.AMP
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.
Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:10-17 NLT
A Fitting Reply 