Saving My 1 Year-old from Chokeholds
As the father of two girls, it warms my heart to see my girls express sisterly love to each other. Unfortunately, my 1 year old, Eden, doesn’t always appreciate her 3 year-old sister’s often a little too aggressive affection. She means well, but a toddler’s passionate hug around the neck of a 1 year old might as well be a jujitsu chokehold.
It’s in the task of being a referee for my little Eden that I continue to grow more sympathetic for my own little brother. I’m the oldest of three and as I come to the rescue of my little one, I think about the torture I put my little brother through growing up.
Younger siblings can have it hard sometimes, but I think the Biblical account of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) takes the cake for the worst sibling rivalry. You know you have it bad when your siblings conspire to have you killed and in mercy, choose to instead sell you off as a slave. (And you thought today’s families are dysfunctional!)
Our lesson to your kids last Sunday brought us to the last part of Joseph’s story. Joseph was reunited with his brothers, but now as a man of great influence and power, Joseph has a prime opportunity for vengeance. Instead, he forgave his brothers.
The act of forgiveness for such an unfathomable wrong is hard to comprehend for the natural mind. That kind of forgiveness is supernatural and only comes from a relationship with God. Joseph had developed such an awareness of God that he could recognize Him orchestrating even the most painful moments of his life. So how can we instill this awareness in our kids?
I remember as young kid riding in the car with my mom. She could see that I was staring at the white lines on the road. They seemed to move like flashing beams as we coasted down the freeway. My mom seized the subtle moment. “Do you know what I think of when I see the lines as we drive past them?,” she asked. “The lines are like years. They go by fast. Our life on earth is short compared to eternity. Make sure everyday is lived for Jesus.” A simple drive became a spiritual moment that drew me into an awareness of God. I never forgot that lesson.
When we diminish the barrier of the sacred and the secular by inviting God into the regular moments of life, we invite our kids to develop an awareness of God. That awareness is what will help them, like Joseph, navigate the moments of life and see God orchestrating His plan.
~ Felix
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This blog for parents of Highpoint Kids is a refelction on last week's lesson:
Unit 3, Session 4: Joseph's Dreams Came True
Big Picture Question: What can stop God’s plan? Nothing can stop God’s perfect plan.
Bible Timeline: God sent Joseph to Egypt to establish a remnant.
Theme Verse: Genesis 26:24 (ESV)
And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.”
