Just Like Riding a Bike

Imagine this.

A father gets his young son a brand new bike.  The father teaches the boy how to ride it, he explains the rules of riding the bike yet gives the boy plenty of freedom to enjoy himself with the bike.

As the boy rides the bike on the sidewalk near their house the father watches from the kitchen window with great delight, soaking in the image of joy on his son's face.  That is until the boy turns off the sidewalk, hops over the curb and goes directly into a busy street.  At this point the father bolts out the door shouting and running after his son who is fortunately unhurt by the incident.  The father hugs his son and then sternly explains that the boy has lost his bike riding privileges for awhile.  The father loves his son too much not to discipline him for directly disobeying him and getting into a dangerous situation.

The boy, however, understands only that his father restricts his use of the bike.  Dad is such a killjoy.

We're like this with our Heavenly Father.

God gives us good gifts like sex, leisure, friendship, wine, and fulfilling work.  He means for us to enjoy His gifts.  Our Heavenly Father is honored when we enjoy His gifts much like the father in the story was delighted when his son properly enjoyed the bike.  But too often we've taken these gifts and used them incorrectly.  We've become promiscuous or lazy or people-users or drunkards or workaholics.  We spoil the good gifts of God by not using them correctly and then think God is a killjoy when He disciplines us for our own good.

The bottom line is that we want many of the gifts God gives but we don't want to be treated as children.  Until the inheritance comes around that is or until the un-responsibly used gift blows up in our face; then it's "Dear Heavenly Father, please..."

It's a lot like riding a bike, maybe not as simple as the analogy seems but very similar.  God gives us many good gifts and He delights in us getting pleasure from them when we use them as they're designed to function.  God wants us to honor Him through the enjoyment of His gifts but He does not want to see us get hurt, though sometimes out of love He, like the good Father He is, lets us see the consequences of our actions in order to teach us.

So, we thank God for His good gifts.  We enjoy His good gifts to the max, but we make sure to follow the instruction manual.

Enjoy one of God's gifts given to you today.