One of Amy’s current challenges is learning how to be gentle with toys and other things that could hurt someone or something — i.e. not throwing or deliberately dropping heavy or hard things. Another is similar — not deliberately throwing or dropping her food.
I believe I have enough evidence to think she knows what she is doing and is capable of obeying. After all, she knows not to go in our bedroom (the kitty’s refuge), she knows she can open cabinets but not touch or take out what’s inside, and so on. And when she does push those or other limits, she often gets our attention first, testing her and our power and authority.
On the other hand, I am aware that it is not easy to guide and shape and discipline a child’s will without breaking it. I don’t want what I require of her to be burdensome — challenging, in a way appropriate to her age and maturity, yes, but not breakingly burdensome.
Last week at church, the guest pastor preached about obeying God’s commands, and quoted a Gospel passage where Jesus says his commands are not burdensome (reference, anyone?).
His sermon seemed to fit in with the idea that it’s possible to keep Jesus’ commands — in other words, it’s possible to not sin.
I disagree heartily.
Not that we can therefore go sin all we want, but that we should know a) that we cannot keep the commandments sufficiently, b) in the Cross Jesus exchanges his righteousness for our sins, and therefore c) our efforts to live in a manner pleasing to him are not to earn or keep his favor, but because we already have it and we are grateful and we want to please him who loves us.
I think that what Jesus means by saying his commands are not burdensome, is that they are not deliberately set up to oppress and destroy and break us — his commands are intrinsically good and true and holy, just as he is — they are things that, if our sinful nature didn’t still cling to us, we would wholeheartedly long to do.
And I want our commands to be similarly not burdensome to Amy.
The one reference I find for this scripture is I John 5:3, and that section says, “For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Now, the thing is, we can never (as you say) keep God’s commandments completely - on our own. But as this passage indicates, because we are born of God, we overcome “the world” through our faith. And the only way I know of this happening, after years of dealing with this, is that the Holy Spirit can make us able to progressively keep God’s commandments. But we never will completely until we are changed when either we die, or the Lord returns.
Of course, as parents, we don’t want our commands to be unkeepable to our children, either.
I like your comment in your just previous posting about it not being the PPD, but the crying - “The psychological stress of not wanting to displease the great gods Mama and Daddy, but having to follow that burning urge to assert herself, too…” This really captures the situation. God is called our Father, for one reason, because He models being a parent for us in His care for humanity, and Israel in particular. And your description accurately expresses, I think, how children relate to their parents at a young age, and the struggle they have to become their own person, and our struggle to become our own persons as adults with respect to God. Just as we don’t want our children to not be their own persons, and want them to learn to appropriately express and grow in it, God wants the same for us as adults. Thanks for that.
Comment by Rick — January 13, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
“I think that what Jesus means by saying his commands are not burdensome, is that they are not deliberately set up to oppress and destroy and break us — his commands are intrinsically good and true and holy, just as he is — they are things that, if our sinful nature didn’t still cling to us, we would wholeheartedly long to do.”
yes. and also that following his commands brings joy, relief, levity, peace of mind, and happiness!
Comment by ama — January 15, 2008 @ 10:24 am