daddy

"Thank you....Daddy"

We have five kids.  14 yrs old, 14 yrs old, 13 yrs old, 10 yrs old, and 6 yrs old.  The natural progression of our kids has been to go from "da" to "dada", to "daddy" and then finally to "dad".  You know what I'm talking about.  You probably even remember the time in your life when you kids went from daddy to dad.  The benchmark moment is bittersweet for any parent.  

But to hear "Thank you.....Daddy" from my eldest is something different.  You see, he is from China, and while it's possible the word is lost in translation, he has in fact called me "dad" before.  As a matter of fact, that is all he used to call me.  Unlike the natural drawing away from daddy to dad, he is drawing nearer from dad to daddy.  

I hope he never corrects it.

And so it is with our walk with God isn't it?  I wonder if He remembers when in our actions and in our hearts, we went from a needing him above all else, to more of a "I've got it from here" mentality.  Unknowingly, we go from an intimate "daddy" to just "dad".

Oh! We need that intimacy again.  We need to grow so much weaker so as to allow Him to grow so much a stronger through us.   We need that level of intimacy in our relationship.  To grow closer and weaker.  More dependent and needy.  Not follow the natural progression of finding stability and work to be self sustaining.

Erwin Lutzer said, "You become stronger only when you become weaker. When you surrender your will to God, you discover the resources to do what God requires.

Watchman Nee said, "God's means of delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger, but by making us weaker and weaker. That is surely rather a peculiar way of victory, you say; but it is the divine way. God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man but by crucifying him; not by helping him to do anything, but by removing him from the scene of action."