Child-Gated No More

From the pen of my friend and former classmate at Bethany College of Missions, James Nickel (shared with permission)…

Child walking in grassMy fourteen month-old grandson has just learned to use his legs.
With unsteady steps and a few falls, he has learned to explore the rooms of our home.
After experiencing this freedom, he shakes his head indicating an emphatic “no” when placed in a room where the doorways are “child gated.”

This afternoon, I led him outdoors to our gate-free front yard.
I opened the door of my office.
Then, the screen door.

With both doors open, I beckoned him to the outside.
A tentative look and non-mobile legs indicated he wanted to stay put, but I held out my hand. Grabbing it, he crossed the threshold with me.

Then, I let go of his hand and he took a few steps toward the front-yard and stopped.

For the next few seconds,
I could see that he was assimilating the ambiance of the outdoors …
the invigorating fresh air, the flowing clouds in sky high above, the sounds of children playing across the street, the “drip drop” of a light rain.

Then, with as much boldness and freedom as his wobbly legs would allow, he advanced into God’s universe with the expression of pure joy radiating on his face.

And so it is intended to be, as children of God walking in the freedom of Christ, the New Man, who by his redefinition of the imago Dei, has laid the groundwork, in his Incarnation and Atonement, for us to explore the wondrous joys of the New Creation in and with Him.

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