"The wise in heart will receive commandments:
but a prating fool shall fall." - Proverbs 10:8

It always happens sooner or later.

It happened tonight.

My little boy, Jacob, (now 17 months for those keeping count) has been instructed by his mommy and me OVER and OVER and OVER again to not stand on things

The little guy is a climber.  He loves to climb on anything he can find.  In fact, he pulls things off of shelves and other places into the floor just so he can climb on them.

And we have warned him repeatedly that if he continues to climb on top of things like an upside down popcorn bowl that he somehow manages to get his hands on, he is going to get hurt.

We'll catch him standing on things from time to time and we'll pull him off and warn him.  He's been doing this for several months now.  And I am sure that he has been thinking in his small mind...

..."I haven't fallen yet, so what's the big deal."

He's not thinking that anymore.

Tonight, he got himself a bowl from the kitchen (it's amazing how he open cabinets with restraints on them that are supposed to be "child-proof") and he placed that bowl on our hardwood floors and decided to climb.

I looked up and saw him and was about to head for him for my usual warning when he went down.

Hard.

Hard enough to scare the daylights out of me.

I'm not sure who grabbed him first, Paula or me, but we both dove at him and gathered him up.  His head had a small cut and a large knot.  And he began to cry.

Then we began to cry.  (I'm telling you the truth, it hurts the parents JUST as much -- maybe even more!)

And after we calmed him down (and us) I heard Paula whisper lovingly to him, "That's why mommy and daddy tell you not to climb on things.  We don't want you to get hurt."

I'm hoping he's learned his lesson.  But, I'm thinking he'll be back at it tomorrow.

As I thought about him hurting himself tonight, I remembered again how our Father in Heaven warns us against certain things, just as we warn Jacob against climbing.

Over and over and over again He tells us not to do things in His Word and through His Holy Spirit.  And, despite this, we sometimes do it anyway, don't we?

And maybe the first time or two we "get away with it."  Or, so we think.  We figure it hasn't hurt us yet, so what's the big deal.  And we keep going. 

As the Father watches, cringing at our every move, He sees it happen.  We take a fall.  We bust our head.  We hurt ourselves because we disobeyed what He warned us about.

And in an instant He is there.  Picking us up.  Holding us close.  Feeling our pain as if it is His own.  Yes, He cries when we cry.  I'm sure of it.  He's a Father.

And I'm convinced of this.  I'm convinced if we will but listen through our sobs and cries that we'll hear Him gently and lovingly whisper to us, "That's why I told you not to do that. I didn't want you to hurt yourself."

You see, God's instructions aren't intended to take the fun our of our lives or to restrict us from doing what we want.  He only has our best interest in mind and wants to keep us from harm's path.

Christian, what about you?  Is there something in your life that you know (and you DO know) you shouldn't be doing? Maybe it's something God has specifically said "don't do" in His Word.  Or, perhaps it's some prompting from the Holy Spirit.

Will you keep climbing until you bust your head?

Or will you learn a lesson from my little one. 

And listen to your Father.

Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!