Lock the Doors, There's a Baby Inside!!

Last night as I was retrieving some glasses my neighbor borrowed, I had an interesting thought. Well, it was interesting to me. Cherie's son Noah also came to the door to see what was up and he wanted to go outside something bad. He pushed on the screen door (he's about a year and a half old...maybe) again and again, but Cherie locked the door so he couldn't go outside. Why is this? Is it true that when a mother loves a child, she'll take extra precautions to help care for that child?

I think the answer is obvious, but it is not the whole answer. You see, this blog is my attempt to grow up and not be a little child in many of the areas of my faith which I am still immature in. I began to think about the church and how many people think that they are stuck in the Christian bubble in a bad way... Like Noah, they want to get out, but the pastors and small group leaders try to lock the doors so they'll have to stay in the church. Is this bad? Probably not, if like Cherie, they do this out of love. What if Noah were 25 and she was still locking the door?

We all acknowledge that there are points in our lives where we have needed this kind of shelter and other times where maybe it was a bit overbearing. How does one know when it's safe to go outside?

If I am like Noah in this analogy, then I suppose it is not up to me to lock the door. It ought to be natural to want to get out. It is natural to want to explore. It would be God's job to make sure that the door gets locked if this exploration is dangerous. If He commands that I stay inside, I am risking a spanking if I go out anyway, but that spanking is BECAUSE He loves me.

I have to wonder about the child of God who has no interest in reaching the world, learning new things, always locking themselves in the churchy culture... not because it makes them more like Jesus, but because they are simply scared to go outside. The heart of a child is to explore, it is to know, it is to grow. If these characteristics are missing in your life, maybe it is time for you to go on a similar adventure. Maybe it's time to stand by the door of your ignorance and keep pushing until you hear your Father say that you need to get away from that door or... maybe you will grow up quickly and then He will expect for you to go in and out of the door without hurting yourself or others.

5 O Clock Shadows, the Beginning

This blog is dedicated to discovering what it means to be both a Christian and macsculine. As I delve into topics I have not deeply considered, it is my hope that I will go from being a boy in understanding to becoming a man in my understanding. A boy takes what he is told and assumes it is correct. It may or may not be, but he does not take the time and energy to makes these thoughts and beliefs his own. Once a man has done this, he is able to have a "Five O Clock Shadow" of understanding. He may not understand it perfectly, but he does understand the idea and principle well enough to carry an attractive, grace filled position. He does not need to convince the world that he is right, but he is able to live with the strength and conviction that he is. If you have views that differ, I am not here to try and change those views. I am simply seeking to gain a personal understanding of the way things are... and in this effort, hope to encourage my fellow travellers to work through their own questions, without fear, to see what is true and what is real. Maybe in this way, we can all leave being children and grow up in maturity.