Independence

I was watching a mother with her child. He was just a little toddler. No doubt he was just about four of five months into his adventure in walking. They were walking down the street and the toddler was pushing his stroller. I had to smile as I remembered how Nick used to do the same thing. This little guy didn't understand his inner desire to prove what he was capable of doing "on his own". All he knew was he was tired of being confined in the stroller and he wanted to be in charge of pushing it. Even though his mom was ready, willing and able to push him around, he would have none of that. This little boy was progressing in life and that is a good thing. Yet, I thought about how his craving for independence mirrors an unhealthy proression in our own spiritual lives. God walks alongside us. God provides a great deal of help and assistance. He gives us power to live and move and have our being. Too often, we prefer to push through life and reject or ignore His help. Why? It's because we have distorted healthy spiritual growth and development into an unhealthy dependence our own strength. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can make it just fine without Him. I'm not suggesting we ride through life in a stroller. I am suggesting a bit of irony. Trust and dependency on God's help is a mark of maturity.