HUMAN NATURE

I've lived a long time and have a few memories almost from the beginning of my time. I have realized that many people perhaps remember nothing of their early years and my flashes and glimpses of the tiny me must surely have some permanent value and perhaps I finally have discerned their purpose.

flash!   I was standing at the window, stretching to see outside, yearning to see the passing fire truck screaming past our house on its way to some unknown, exciting destination and I wanted to go too. Anger at being confined inside, perhaps also, as Mother explained a few years later, after I questioned her--possibly due to resentment or self-pity at being denied further bottle feedings, hungry but defiantly refusing to drink milk from a hateful cup.

flash!   I was crying over my skinned nose, after falling yet again as I sneaked next door to try again  to climb up into our neighbor's big porch swing. When Mrs. Cook or Mama found me screaming and rescued me, she reminded me I had been told to wait for grown-up help to lift ne up  so it wouldn't topple over backward, dropping me face-first  into a nose dive. But I thought surely this time----

flash!   I was in the front yard alone, with a new goal. Half a block away on Vickery Boulevard there was a street car! Mama and I must have ridden it before--I don't remember, but I knew it would be exciting.  Toddling to the sidewalk in my high top black patent leather Roman sandals buckled up to my ankles, I faced a formidable foe: the giant red ant nest straddled the sidewalk I must get past that on my way to adventure.  Quandary: Whether to run very fast on my wobbly legs before the little warriors  swarmed up my legs  or to tiptoe quietly, slowly past so they wouldn't be angry and sting me. I opted for the stealth approach and became frozen in fear and pain as they began to attack, which alerted Mama to run to the rescue, again. If not for those pesky pests, I surely would have gotten to the bigger street where the street car waited--or the heavy traffic there. Foiled again, but maybe next time-----

Common factor of these memories? I knew I was doing something wrong because my mother had told me not to do those things. Even if I didn't know why it was wrong, I knew by age two not to do them. Just in case you doubted what the Bible said about our inherited sin nature and still believe the fashionable fable about natural man reaching for the stars, always moving upward toward perfection--which they somehow expect to happen despite the  daily headlines to the contrary. Come on now! With all the unstoppable evil around us in this world?  Really?

Our Father often needs to get our attention quickly lest we fall into some danger or destructive behavior. He promises we will understand later (or much later) and will be grateful for His restraining hand. And since we've been adopted, redeemed, into His Holy Family and have become Children of the King of All There Is, how can we disregard His guidance?

            For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall be like Him, as He is.     1 John 3:23