Skip to main content

I’m Almost An Adult



I’m almost an adult. 

I’m sure I’m not the first parent in history who is sick of hearing that phrase. For those who may not have experienced such a thrill, it happens when your child is seventeen and decides the rules and limitations you have placed on them should no longer apply. 

Because, after all, they are almost an adult.

What’s So Special About Eighteen?

Ah, eighteen, that magical age when you suddenly become capable of making every decision for yourself. Why? Because the government, that institution we trust with so many important decisions, declares you to be an adult. After all, you’re able to die for your country. You’re qualified to help decide the next leader of our nation. And you can smoke. 

Welcome to the club! You’re an adult! Woohoo! You’re now free and independent, with no authority left to rule over you and give you any restrictions. No authority except for landlords, bosses, police officers, and the aforementioned government officials. It would appear you are only free from the authority of your parents. At least you won’t be needing them for anything over the next 10-50 years. 

It probably seems best to ask them now for your share of the inheritance and get on with living your best life now. 

Why Does It Seem Like We’re Re-Doing The Toddler Years?

I’m almost an adult smacks of an independence being fought for  against the tyranny of those who are honestly trying to help you. Maybe, even though eighteen was more than eighteen years ago for us, we’re trying to help make your path a bit smoother than the one we had. 

This is similar to the very messy age of toddlers. I can do it all by myself is the battlecry of many a two and three-year old expressing their independence. Never mind the fact that the authoritarian challenging your freedom just doesn’t want to clean up a big mess when you discover you can’t pour your own milk just yet. 

Fifteen or sixteen years later, the only thing that changes is the size of the mess that needs to be cleaned up. 

The Hurtful Twist (That We All Should See Coming)

I wonder if God ever gets tired of hearing certain phrases come out of my mouth? Is He sitting on His throne, with angels all around, saying, “I swear, if I hear Rick say one more time how much wisdom he has from his glorious forty years of experience...?” 

How often does God watch as we worry about one thing or another, never bothering to ask Him for His opinion? How much do we struggle with life without a second thought that Someone has offered to be our help in times of trouble?*

The Thing Loki Got Right

If you’re a fan of Marvel’s superheroes, you know Loki made some pretty bad choices. But early on in his quest to take over the earth, he stands over a crowd and tells them they were made to be ruled. 

He’s not wrong, folks. We have a King. That King has given us certain levels of freedom, but let’s not mistake that as God abdicating His throne. Our King has also given us different authorities in various areas of our lives. They’re not intended to squelch our identities. 

via GIPHY

The boundaries we experience help shape us, keep us safe, and model for  our young kings the idea that authority does not equal prison. God help us all to see your guidance as a life-long aid and not as a treatment reserved for the immature. 

*Psalm 46:1, is just one example of many.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Accountable

I recently officiated a wedding. The ceremony was simple, lovely, and ended with another couple professing to keep the covenant of marriage. But it all started with a clarification...from me. At our first premarital counseling session, as I have done with every couple I have agreed to marry, I clarified a couple of matters. First, I officiate Christian weddings, where both spouses-to-be are professing Christians. I firmly believe that marriage is difficult enough, without adding disagreements about God into the mix. Second, as a minister of Jesus Christ, I believe the pastor’s role in a wedding is to represent the blessing of God on that union. So we have several sessions of premarital counseling where we discuss married life. It’s not that I have this imaginary card in my head, with a picture of me on the front and my stats on the back. (You know, like a baseball card.) Ok, I do picture cards. Pastor cards! And being a competitive guy, I want my stats to look good. The number of coupl
Post a Comment
Read more

Patience

I am more than halfway through the last year of dropping one of my children off at school. It's my eighth grade daughter, for anyone keeping track of my family.  See, next year she will be at the high school, and her brother will drive her. He says that it's not cool for seniors to drive their freshman sister to school, but I bet it's cooler than being dropped off by your mom in a minivan.  So rather than groan about this daily responsibility, I've been reminiscing about what the drop-off line used to look like, way back in elementary school. Once our children were about halfway through their elementary years, the drop-off line became a test of patience.  Do you know which group you do not want to get caught behind in the parent drop-off line at an elementary school? The kindergartners. These little ones are barely able to walk, but now we put them in the high-pressure situation of trying to unbuckle their seat-belt, grab their backpack (which might be as tall as they a
Post a Comment
Read more

Jury Duty

I was recently summoned to jury duty. I know, groan. Except I didn't. I had never experienced it before and was curious to see what it was like.   When the day to report arrives, they separate you into groups, asking various questions to decide if you will be selected to serve. Do you know the accused? Do you have conflicts that would keep you from serving? Can you stay focused?  I wanted to answer well, if only because my kids kept wishing me luck the day before, telling me they hoped I made the team. After all, who wants to be rejected? It occurred to me that there are things you probably shouldn’t say right away if you’re wanting to serve on a jury. I know, I know, people don’t typically want to serve on a jury. But that list didn’t seem nearly as humorous to me. Here are the things you probably shouldn’t say if you want to be selected for jury. I hold myself in contempt. You can’t handle the truth. We find the defendant guilty. I believe the judge looks pretty in his robe. I’d
Post a Comment
Read more