Episode #20 - For Your Good

My son is all boy. Over the past few days, he has attempted over and over again to eat the dog food that is set out for the dog here in at my in-laws house. We keep stopping him and he's getting frustrated. To him, we're just being mean by not letting him eat what he wants and thinks is food. But what he doesn't realize is we are protecting him, it's for his good. Well...our Father has also established rules & boundaries for us his children. We might not always like them, even foolishly insist on what we think is right in our own eyes, but they are for our good & our protection. 1

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Transcript

Welcome to the Set Your Mind Above podcast, where every day, ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths! I am your host BJ Sipe, and I’m so glad you’ve tuned in today! I am excited to share my life & my faith with you, and I sure hope you’ll do the same with me along the way.

I have figured out very quickly that raising a boy is a whole lot different than raising a girl. As Ava has gotten older, things she’s wanted to do have been play dress up, shop for baby dolls, or sing songs & dance with daddy. As my son Dane is getting older, let me just list off a few things that all occurred yesterday: stick dirt in his ears, throw a ball at his sister’s face, and trying to climb on top of the coffee tables. He is all boy, through and through. However, the biggest battle since we arrived at his Papa & Gigi’s house yesterday has been something new and exciting for him: the big bowl of dog food on the ground in the kitchen. We do not have a dog in our house, but my in-laws have the sweetest, most gentle dog I’ve ever known named Sugar. She couldn’t care less about someone touching her food, and in the mind of a little boy who’s not even a year and a half old yet, this is free food sitting there ready for him! Without exaggeration, we have had to stop him from trying to eat the dog food at least two dozen times since we’ve been here. He is absolutely determined to taste what he believes is a delicious treat sitting conveniently at floor level in the shiny bowl. Every time he makes a b-line for it, one of us runs and grabs his hand as he’s bringing it up to his mouth with 3 or 4 pieces of kibble. We say “no, no” and move him away, yet it doesn’t seem to faze him at all because within a matter of minutes he’s back at it again. He’s been getting more frustrated with the last few attempts too. I can image from his perspective it probably seems like I’m just being mean to him, why won’t I let him have the perfectly good snack that’s right there? Of course what he doesn’t understand is that this is for his good. I can guarantee that he isn’t going to like the taste of that dog food, and certainly it’s not good for him to be eating. As parents, all kinds of rules are put into place for the same line of reasoning – the rules are not intended to be harsh or cruel to our children, but rather are intended for their good to protect them. It’s why Ava, who struggles with stairs, is not allowed to go up or downstairs without the help of an adult – she would fall. It’s why Dane, who is quite the climber, is not allowed to stand on the couch because he tries to jump off the back of it & will hurt himself. It was the same for my parents to me as well – I remember being mad when I was younger because if the temperature was below 60 degrees my Mom would make us at least carry a jacket with us. Of course you can’t show off your cool new shirt if you’re wearing a jacket, so we would get upset with mom thinking she was being mean. Of course she wasn’t – she was ensuring we wouldn’t get cold and thereby sick. It was for our good and out of love that boundaries and rules were set into place in our home. In fact, I would make the argument that a home where boundaries or rules are not set up or insisted on is very dangerous. You might think you’re being loving to your children by just letting them do what they want, but you’re not loving them at all. Children don’t know what they need, nor do they understand what is really in their best interest, that is why as a parent you must instruct them and discipline them to understand these things. 

There are many people in this world who view God as some big, mean parent. That the teachings found in Scripture that we are follow are harsh and cruel. After all, if God really loved us, he would just let us do whatever we wanted. Well, just like no good earthly father would let their children do whatever they want against their best interests, how could we possibly think such a thing of our eternal father? Consider the words of Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?” The people of Israel were likened to be the children of God, and as their Father he gave them the rules and boundaries that they were to abide by in the Law of Moses. This Law was not intended to be harsh or cruel in any way, rather it was intended for their good. They statutes that were set up for them to follow were to keep them holy, so that they might not fall into condemnation by committing the same sins as the pagan nations around them. They were to keep them safe, and if they were obedient children and loved the Lord their God they would find blessing and protection. It was not in Israel, nor is it in us, to know what is in our best interest many times – that is up to our Father in Heaven. Proverbs 14:12 reads, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Just as I don’t allow Dane to eat dog food or my daughter to climb stairs alone for their protection, so we must learn to trust God and that what he has called us to do is also for our protection. He loves us, and because he loves us he disciplines us. If he didn’t love us, then we would be permitted to do whatever seemed right in our own eyes, but it would result in our destruction. Peter, citing Psalm 34, would write in his first letter in chapter 3 starting in verse 10, “For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” We are God’s children, and it is not within us to do as we see fit in our lives. And yet sometimes like my son, we are determined to do that which our Father has told us not to. We want to taste and take part in the sinful passing pleasures of the world, deceived by Satan to pursue them again and again. Don’t be proud & arrogant, trust in the Lord, and if you truly want to love life & see good days, it begins by listening to him. 

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Friday’s, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and weekly video sessions that are uploaded on Saturdays. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above!