Lessons from a Baby #11: Lock It Yourself!

Since I've had a busy toddler in my life for a while, I've learned there are certain places in my house she wants to explore.  I take that back - she wants to explore every space in my house.  There aren't enough high shelves in my home to put everything out of her reach, so some cabinets now have nice little plastic locks that keep those curious fingers from digging everything out of that space.

I'm not really trying to restrict her curiosity or curtail her freedom. I'm trying to protect her from items in my house that could hurt her.  She doesn't need to play with glass bowls or small appliances with sharp edges, as intriguing as they might be to her.

During the week when little Bella is safe at home with her parents, the locks are left unlocked so that my husband and I don't have to open them each time we need to access the contents of a cabinet. Lately, I've noticed that when Bella comes into our house and heads for the kitchen, the first thing she does is go to those open locks and attempt to lock them herself.  She is restricting herself instead of taking the opportunity to get into all that mystery stuff in the kitchen!

God knows that certain things in this world can hurt us.  He doesn't use locks to keep us away from those things though. He only tells us in his Word to be obedient to Him and shun the sin that would separate us from Him.  He gives us free will to choose Him or choose sin.

If we use the wisdom of a toddler when we see situations and temptations the enemy has designed to entrap us, we should engage those locks ourselves through prayer and the Word and in some cases, by physically walking away from an opportunity to invite sin into our lives.  It could be a certain TV network which has programming that you know entices you to watch something that weakens your walk with God.  It could be an old friend who invites you to join in the things that Jesus has already delivered you from.  It could be any number of open doors where you know exactly what is on the other side.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that " No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Sometimes that way of escape lies in your own decision making - using wisdom to avoid those triggers that lead you away from God instead of deeper into a relationship that will not only bring joy, power, and strength into your life, but will allow you to bring those things to those that God places in your life to influence.  Lock those doors!