I’m not sure how many people I’ve said this to, but if I ever condoned child tattooing my daughter would have a curl inked right in the middle of her forehead. Ever heard the poem? Penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it reads:
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
My mom has often said that raising kids helps the parents grow up, and with Kate I’ve had to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined. The definition of strong-willed and rebellious, she has reminded me a lot of this little one at times…
Even dressed her up like Lilo for Halloween one year…yes, I sprayed her hair black for the occasion. Don’t judge!
Love both of these girls, but talk about exhausting!
God is no stranger to loving His own set of difficult people. The Israelites gave Him some particular headaches during their 40 year journey to the Promised Land.
Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord. Psalm 106:24-25
I’ve been thinking a lot about rebellion lately. Actually, rebellion and Q-tips. No really, the two have more in common than you’d think. We have entire companies built on rebellion.
What do you use Q-tips for? On the back of a box of Q-tips you might see a picture of a computer keyboard or a baby’s face, but I’m guessing that 95% of Q-tip users use them for cleaning their ears (okay, I’m totally guessing here, but you get the idea).
You’d be hard pressed to find a doctor who’d suggest that you should stick anything in your ears, including Q-tips. Think about it…how many times have you heard not to stick anything in your ears? I know I’ve heard this countless times, and yet I’ll still reach for those cotton swabs.
I looked at the frequently asked questions on their website (yes, www.qtips.com is an actual website). “Should I stick Q-tips in my ear?” was not one of the listed questions because you shouldn’t; and they know it. Rebellion at its corporate best!
So there you have it: rebellious daughter, rebellious Lilo, rebellious Israelites, and rebellious Q-tips. Bet you’d have never guessed I could pull all that together!
God can fix our rebellion, you know.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26
I can’t think of better imagery for rebellion than someone with a heart of stone. Rock solid. And yet God shows us hope in the possibility of giving us a new heart – one made of flesh.
God’s ready to work on all of the rocks of rebellion in our lives, where ever they are hiding out. Let Him…you’ll be glad you did!