I once had a conversation in college with a student who wanted to be rebellious just for the sake of being able to know what it’s like to have one of “those testimonies”… you know the kind… that really dramatic story of how you were doing all this junk and God reached in and pulled you out of the mire…

I got to thinking about that conversation today, while cutting some chicken… see I have four sick (yes, I said 4!) babies… I thought about how at the time of the conversation I really didn’t have a good way of helping her understand what she was asking for… how that’s not a good way to think about what she has… today, the thought crossed my mind that I now have a picture to paint for her…

If I was sitting at her table with our cups of coffee (tea, soda, whatever) I would talk to her about those beautiful babies she has… how she likes to watch them sleep (they are SOOOO sweet then!)… how she works so hard to protect them from the bumps and bruises of learning to walk… how she painstakingly teaches them the proper way to ask for the things they want… of the joy she receives being able to provide those wants.

Then I would ask her to think about the first time they got a cold. Oh, the longing to help that child feel better… the wanting to take that illness from them. Or the first heartbreak they will have… Don’t you want to do whatever you can to keep them from dealing with that pain? What about that first bike ride… how much would you like to keep the scars from their little bodies.

You have to know God feels each one of these feelings, only much more so… When you are rebellious there is pain and scarring God wishes you never had… and what joy if you struggle through life NOT rebelling. That’s like seeing your baby healthy and happy!