Cute Rebellion

“Every person who practices sin commits an act of rebellion, 

and sin is rebellion.” 1 John 3:4 

Froot-Loops littered the floor as my 19 month old son hurled them one fistful at a time across the room. I looked at Josiah and gave a disagreeable head shake. Then he smiled and launched another brigade. I reinforced my disapproval of his antics by giving his pudgy little hand a snap. Much to my confusion he responded by letting out a squeal of delight, which was then followed by a mass exodus of cereal from his bowl. 

It seemed my tactics were simply power for the course, my gentle rebuke seemed nothing more than a playful gesture to him. This meant it was time to get my point across in a way he could understand. I pulled him out of his highchair and made my way to his room.  As I neared the crib he knew this wasn’t a good sign. He clung to me like a wet rag, and as I peeled him off and plopped his diapered rear into the crib a general outcry began. His lungs let loose as he adamantly voiced his disapproval. In his mind, I’m sure he was thinking how treacherous my choice of punishment was, how terribly unfair! This type of torture certainly didn’t fit the crime! 

We might giggle at this scene, but if we are honest we would note that we sometimes react in much the same way in regards to our heavenly Father. We get a little irritated when He tells us "no" and we institute ‘cute rebellion’. We engage in this when we don’t heed God’s gentle rebuke, instead we give Him a cutesy smile thinking that will placate Him. The problem with ‘cute rebellion’ is that it is still rebellion, and there is nothing cute about.

Launching Froot-Loops at God may not seem like a huge deal to us. Yet it certainly is not a welcomed addition to anyone’s cleaning schedule and it is simply out of line. Rebellion, whether big or small is what it is; it’s displeasing to God and often to others around us. Today ask yourself, have I been tossing any Froot-Loops of my own? Perhaps it’s a good day to put the Froot-Loops down and start cleaning up your act.

"The wise in heart are called prudent, understanding, and knowing, and winsome speech increases learning [in both speaker and listener].” Proverbs 16:21 

My name is Lori, I am a daughter of the King, a Pastors wife, and the mother of three beautiful children. This monthly devotional looks to bring godly insight and humor to the everyday moments we experience as parents. It highlights the countless ways God speaks, and ministers to us through the joys and trials of parenthood.  I invite you to become a part of the everyday antics of our family’s life. As you join us you’re sure to find yourselves in the midst of many of the familiar delights, and countless mini catastrophes that come along with child rearing. Each devotional you read will be set along-side Scripture to aid in self- reflection and spiritual growth. And as you read along with us each month, you may begin to discover that our children’s outward actions often reflect many of our inward thoughts.  This unique perspective enables us to take an honest look at ourselves, and it even puts us in a position to be pickled through the process of parenthood. So come and join us as God reveals the little child in each of us, and our ever present need for His love and wisdom.