Another note on babies being selfish ...

We put sirens on our municipal vehicles ...to loudly announce, "Make way!!  Move to the side!!  Get out of the way!!"

God created babies to cry ...and cry loudly and persistently.

If babies didn't cry, a few of us would be fanatic ...and be checking on the baby every two minutes to see if everything is all right, to see if there's breathing, to see if some wolf didn't sneak into our home and steal our baby.  

But, likely the rest of us would be more like we are when planning an outdoor picnic. We'd be so excited and wrapped up with what we were doing, we'd no more be checking on the baby than we would the sky. That's why so many picnickers get drenched ...they are so excited about their picnic plans, they don't even bother to look up once in a while to see the gathering storm clouds and thunderheads.

If a baby didn't cry ...how else would we know when the baby was hungry, whether a diaper pin had come loose and is jabbing and gouging beneath the skin, or aside from a happenstance wondering within close proximity to get a whiff ...whether that diaper has suddenly reached maximum load capacity. 

Aside from that ---and I am certainly included in this group ---we compete to give our babies delightful attention, oogle over them, and shower them with gifts ...hoping the one we give will be their favorite. Even with whatever more mature age we are at, we wouldn't typically say, "Enough already!  Don't you have something better to do?  Just leave me alone!"

We are the ones who make them believe they are the center of attention ...and I think that's a healthy start, but somewhere along the line that could lead to being self-centered if some difficult lessons in maturity are not mixed in as our child grows.

Some people don't like the way some wording in the Bible says, "train up your child".  Well, trains are powerfully exciting ...but must stay on their tracks to avoid disaster.  But, that is not the analogy that brings protest ...they say, "Dogs are trained ...and children should not be treated like dogs."  

I agree.  

When they get older, and graduate from obedience school, they shouldn't continue to just sit at your feet ...they should earn their living. But, when I was grown and had my own job ...I'd often come back to visit, and I'd sit at my parents feet.  They didn't ask it, but I liked to do it ...and I think they understood and appreciated it also.

I've heard much about lessons by example ...and I wholeheartedly agree that we should do the best with this, but sometimes it takes a bit teaching also. I remember getting up late on Saturdays, and Mom saying, "You get out there and shovel snow ...your Dad's been out there for almost an hour!" Sometimes it's like parking my old beater next to a Rolls-Royce, parking side-by-side is not going to make them resemble each other. The owner of the Rolls may see a few of my dings and decide to park elsewhere though.

It made me feel guilty, but without Mom saying anything I'd likely not even noticed. Sometimes silence speaks loudly, but more times than not, it's a message gone unheard.

Yes, we often breed these attitudes that become a part of those around us. And each moment may call for something else. I worked one summer in a State Park. I had never been in charge of a large work crew ...but this day I was told I would be supervisor of  couple dozen ...prisoners.  

They had an guard with them ...but he was only responsible for their arrival and later for their return. I was now in charge of their work activity.

I was told that I was to take them to a site of a building that had burned to the ground. The only thing there, was a huge concrete foundation ...covered with ashes.  Deep with ashes.

I told the crew what they were supposed to do ...and they just stood there leaning on their shovels, staring at me. I was thankful that the guard was there ...and what flashed through my mind was whether he was armed, as I saw them all armed with those huge flat shovels and still glaring at me.

Of course, my perception had gone from staring  ...to glaring. But, I also admitted to myself how I felt when I first saw the work site ...it was the dirtiest job around.

None of the workers were working ...and it made me feel real uncomfortable.  I recalled one other awkward situation a couple weeks prior.  A man had draped a blanket over a picnic table at the beach to give his dog some shade.  It was right next to the sidewalk, and though his dog was tied ...each time a person walked by on the sidewalk, the Doberman would leap to the end of its chain with that ferocious bark.  

After some complaints, the slim teenage lifeguard asked the owner to move his dog, but the gruff man refused.  To my advantage, I had on a park uniform to perhaps appear more authoritative ...so when I asked him to move his dog he stated that he wasn't going to listen to any skinny little kid, but I had approached him like a man. He quickly moved ...out of the park.

But, when I looked at this prison crew, I somehow felt the authoritative approach was not the best course of action.  They had likely lived their childhood without a loving authority ...and now were living the hard lesson of much authority, without the love.  So, I said nothing more.  I picked up a shovel and I started to shovel those dirty ashes.  And I shoveled hard.  

I quickly began to work up a sweat, and when I went to wipe the sweat from my brow ...I smeared ashes all over my face.  But, I kept working hard ...not looking up, and not saying a word.

After a few minutes, one of the prisoners began shoveling hard. It seemed that he felt I was not going to show him up ...that I was not a better worker than him.  Then it seemed that another had the same thought. Soon they were all working hard. And we got the job done in half the time expected.

Lesson by example doesn't often work ...it only seems to work best when there is a bit of pride that has been instilled.  Sadly, those who have it ...don't often get a chance to use it.  And often it is not encouraged through many working unions.  Some don't have incentive to work at all.  We think the company has to provide the incentive ...and many creatively do so.  But, the best incentive is self-motivation ...not trying to please self, but others.

Obedience and sacrifice are often lacking throughout all aspects of life ...except those whose entire mindset is to serve others.  There are many who take this approach, though the ones that come immediately to mind is our military.

These two paramount character traits were also present along with the first mention of love in the Bible.  God is love. And to show the presence of that love in our lives, we must be obedient to Him and at times sacrifice certain aspects of our lives to be more in line with what He would have us do.

The primary example that comes first to mind ...is having children.  We give up many aspects of what life used to be ...for what we believe is a better life for our children.  The terrible trend in the opposite direction is evidenced by the horrific number of abortions.

So, if what I'm saying has lots to do with works ...it's because I think what we do and how we do it is important.  But, salvation is not by any work ...other than by that which Jesus did on the cross.

We can make that a part of our life ...by simply desiring it.  But, we can't fit well into both worlds at the same time.  That creates conflict ...and requires decisions.  

And decisions require action on choices and beliefs.

We shouldn't base our motivation for action on a full range of diverse emotions ...but rather on the wisdom of the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Much more can be said on this ...but what you and I need to hear, the Holy Spirit knows.  And we should allow that leading.

There always seems to be a caution though.  Being constantly in touch with a close circle of believers we feel comfortable and confident with ...helps prevent the subtle changes that are often less noticeable in ourselves, than in what others may perceive in us.  In our eagerness of experiencing new discoveries ...our intimacy sometimes travels more within desire than reality.  Sometimes we mix what we feel the Holy Spirit is showing us ...with what we would want to be shown.

The desire to be shown is primarily good ...but we need to be aware of secondaries.  Most of what is revealed to us ...is who God is.  And the more we discover the beauty of who He is ...the more clearly and accurately we can glorify Him.

But, the One who can glorify Him most accurately, already did.  And we can read of how Jesus did this ...by reading the Bible.