>Child-Like Needs

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Have you ever stopped to observe how children approach their parents?  There are as many different approaches as there are personalities.  Even the same parents can be approached differently by their own children. 

In fact, that is the case in my family.

Olivia, my oldest, typically approaches in one of two ways.  Sometimes she approaches me needing approval.  She longs to please, but she does not live inside the box.  She wants to break the mold.  Even so, she still hungers for approval as she is breaking that mold.  Other times she simply longs for conversation.  She wants to be included and to be considered a worthy conversational companion. 

Angela, my middle child, desires security.  She wants to know that all is well and that her world is in order.  Although she desires displays of love, that feeling of security is, in her eyes, a beautiful show of love.  Sometimes she just needs some quiet snuggle time during which conversation is acceptable, but not necessary.

Steven, my youngest, desires love and companionship.  He needs love shown through physical touch and interaction, and he cannot do without either one for any length of time.   Even more that that, he needs at least a portion of that interaction to be undivided attention.  For at least a few minutes, there can be no multi-tasking when interaction is needed.

As the mother of these three precious – and very different – children, it is my responsibility to receive them as they approach me and to seek to meet their needs.  It is also my responsibility, however to teach them that their heavenly Father can meet these needs better than I ever could.  In fact, as much as I would love to always be the one they turn to, I should be teaching them to be less and less dependent on mama and more and more dependent on God.

Which leads me to the question – how do I approach my heavenly Father?  With what child-like characteristics do I come to Him? 

What about you? 

I will be forever thankful for my wonderful, godly parents, and I pray my relationship with them will grow phenomenally through the years.  But, as I look at my children and how they approach me, I realize that there are some needs in our lives as adults that can only be met by our heavenly Father.  May we learn from our children what it means to approach Him with not only child-like faith, but child-like needs.  As our Father, He longs to fulfill those needs beautifully, all to His glory and the furtherance of His kingdom.