It hardly seems possible that Josie could already be driving. She turned two today, and there she is in all her glory, driving (or at least being pushed in) her big birthday present, a little plastic car, while holding her little glow bear.
The camp is an outstanding place for these young ones to grow and play. Even though there was a retreat going on at the retreat center, (usually the Retreat Center parking lot is where the kids ride around) yesterday we came down to the circle drive to let Josie truck along on her new ride. Since it can be pushed, there was even some minor squabbles about who would be able to push her and for how long. I was thoroughly impressed that Jason was able to ripstick and push her at the same time. This Saturday was certainly a lot better than last Saturday!
Her new wheels gave me an appreciation for the nice freshness of a brand new car, especially since it was a $36 dollar brand new car, which is probably the only brand new car I will ever buy. I have been thinking about cars and vans and the sort since last Saturday, when our beloved Ford van met it's demise at the base of a rather stout electric pole.
I was impressed at how quickly our insurance company jumped on our claim, and after the value was assessed and a check issue for our loss, it made me realize what a great deal we had found when we bought the van over three years ago.
Since it was such a great bargain, I toyed with the idea of getting the van fixed - maybe it wouldn't be perfect, but it wasn't perfect to start with. Maybe if I could get it to a body shop for an estimate, or have my brother look at it, or salvage it myself and keep the extra money...all the possibilities.
But then I started thinking about the realities. How much would I have to spend just to have it towed to a shop for an estimate? Then, if I didn't like the estimate, how much would it cost to have it towed to another shop, then another? Even if I liked the estimate, how long would it take? Would the insurance company even insure it after they had declared it a total loss? Would the front end ever be the same again? Surely the engine block itself was destroyed by the impact - the frame was twisted and broken and absolutely fried - what was I thinking?
This didn't go on very long before I realized that I would just be better off starting over with a different vehicle - this ole Ford was done, and destined for the scrap pile. After all the Scripture says:
"What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted." Ecclesiastes 1:15
Well, there you go. "what is twisted cannot be straightened." Hmm, that's not what the body shop phone book ads say.
I couldn't help but think about this in light of my little two year old and her new car. In fact, it brought to light one of my great struggles that I have faced over the years in my ministry to youth. I spent a lot of time with students who were messed up in their view of life and truth. To think that I could try to "straighten" that out for them in a few hours was maddening and insane. Their twistedness began long before I met them.
The greatest "twisting" that anyone faces ever is truth twisting - not the crunching of metal and fiberglass in a car accident, although that can be truly devastating. The twisting of truth in a person's life stays twisted - only the Lord can straighten that out, and that through many years of readjusting our worldview though the leadership of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian. The truth will remain twisted in the life of one who refuses to listen to God's truth.
At my high school, the principal would give a long speech over the school intercom at the beginning of every semester. I don't remember any of it other than the refrain of "no note, no change," which had something to do with changing classes. Only with a note of permission to change from parents (or was it teachers?) could a student go to the office and request a class change. The principal would say this "no note, no change" thing at least a dozen times each time he gave this speech, and it was a common thing for us to joke about.
The refrain of the Bible is "no truth, no change." If you listen to the father of lies, you will speak his language and lies will be your native tongue. Jesus said in John 8
43Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
Like my poor old Ford, what is twisted cannot be straightened. When a child grows up with twisted truth, listening to lies, speaking lies, living lies, and believing lies, that child becomes an adult whose native language is falsehood, and he doesn't even know it.
What I want for little Josie, (and all the 8 J's ) is that truth - God's truth, is always front and center for her. It's her North Star - her Polaris. It's her point of reference. I want God's Word to be my kid's default setting - their basic assumption about life - their native tongue. Of course they all have a sinful nature - sin's twisting is evident in their young lives. But if there is no point of reference - no Polaris, no unshakable absolute truth, then that twisting will continue unabated.
At two years old, Josie's heart is a lot like her new car - not perfect, but clean. She will become the product of her influences, just like every other child in the world. If she is immersed in the flood of the lies of our culture, and that is the dominating influence in her life, she will grow up with lies as her native language - but that's not going to happen on my watch.
My job as a Christian father is to help establish a Biblical worldview in my children - not just tell them a bunch of unrelated Bible facts. I don't care if they win Bible trivia games, I want them to follow after God's heart. Like the Ford van, it is better to start with a correct and true frame than to try to straighten what has been twisted.
I could spend a lot of time and energy later on in their lives running around trying to straighten them out, or I could be busting my rear right now to make sure that I am doing everything I can do to give them a proper understanding of God's truth, so that they can make the choice to accept that or reject it as they become adults. I will let them choose, and I will pray that they will choose wisely.
My theory is - if their framework is right and they understand the reality of what they might be rejecting, I think they will choose to follow and obey God. Doesn't the Scripture say the same thing in Proverbs?
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
God, help me to build your truth as the true and right framework into each of the 8 J's.
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