My four year-old is a whirling ball of energy every waking moment. He is also impressively coordinated which keeps him from experiencing what should be the natural consequences of running at life full speed. But this was not the case last Saturday after lunch. He had been excused from the table and instead of just walking away, he broke into a full run out of the kitchen. He was such a little tornado of activity that he managed to get both his feet twisted in the rug which launched him across the room. This, of course, should not have been funny to his parents. And I promise we wouldn’t have laughed except that as he hit the ground he yelled, “And beyond!” We did find humor in his attempt to make it seem like he had planned that fall all along.
Maybe you have to be a parent of a child who has had a Buzz Lightyear phase to understand exactly what was going on. Josh spends quite a bit of his day launching himself into the air and while he’s preparing to jump he yells, “To infinity” and while in the air he yells, “And beyond!” in his best Buzz Lightyear voice. Is my kid the only one doing this? I think we’re developing a generation of potential parachutists.
It’s hard to admit when life isn’t going just like you planned it would. It’s tough to live life in community and let people see your flaws. As much as I want to be open with others, I want to do it on my terms and only share the struggles that reinforce the image I want to create. Through the circumstances in my life God has been slowly breaking me of the need to present myself as in control. I mean, nothing will humble you like your two year-old who is fully potty-trained. . . except when you take him out in public. So I want to allow God to use the flaws and imperfections in my life to show others that being a Christian mom isn’t about having it all together, just about having a heart that wants to please God whatever your circumstances. When I fall down, God sure isn’t fooled if I yell, “And beyond!” so maybe it’s time to start letting Him use me- failings and all- to show His great love to those around me.