As a father of five children, all under the age of twelve years, I definitely know what its like to for a child to go through the "terrible twos." To be honest, this is a phase of childhood development that I would like to forget!
For some reason, between the age of 2 and 4 many children begin to act crazy. That cuddly baby is now becoming a toddler and all of sudden learns that throwing a temper tantrum is a way to get attention. We've all seen how the terrible twos can be - happy one minute and then bursting with tears the next minute. Not fun.
Sometimes kids going through the terrible twos simply shout "NO" to everything that is asked. Others bite, hit, or refuse to be potty trained. All in all, when the twos are terrible, its not a fun time for the parent or the child. Why is this occuring? Well, mostly because the child is learning that the world does not revolve around his or her wants. Around two years of age, a child becomes more keenly aware of her surroundings and her desires. When that kid doesn't get what it wants, the child begins to act loudly and aggresivelly in order to manipulate and control the situation. Those little ankle-biters are smarter than we think!
In a similar fashion we go through spiritual terrible twos as well. How? That's simple. We face the same deilma as a toddler does as we are being conformed into YHWH's image and being changed from "glory TO glory." Here's a passage to consider, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of YHWH, are changed into the same image from glory TO glory, even as by the Spirit of YHWH," 2 Corinthians 3:18. Did you see the terrible "TO" in this verse? This shows that the spiritual life is all about being changed from one type of glory to another. We have our own selfish glory that first only wants to seek its own pleasure. We glory in our wants. We glory in our accomplishments. We glory in our education. We glory in our homes and belongings. We glory in our knowledge. We glory in our whatever. This type of self-centered glory must change to focus not on whom we are or what we have BUT who Y'shua is in us. This is called being changed from "glory TO glory" and it's not necessarily a fun experience.
Our flesh and our mind are used to life that is centered on self. We are accustomed to pleasing self first and then others. When we go through the spiritual terrible twos we change as we begin to put others first or lay down our own personal desires and agendas. It's something we all must constantly go through as we move towards maturity with the Messiah.
The "terrible twos" from one type of selfish glory to a spiritual self-less glory can be stressful and strenuous process. There is no one time prayer that happens and then "poof" we are made glorious and righteous. Being changed into his image is an ongoing daily experience that causes us to daily lay down our selfish ways and accept the ways of love. And then just when one area is conquered another will quickly pop up to be dealt with.
Consider this story...there was once a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village who walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, "Were any great men born in this village?" The old man replied, "Nope, only babies." A frothy question brought a profound answer. Growth takes time. But, growth can not be equated with time. Just because a person has been born again for 20 years doesn't mean that they have grown in their faith and walking in spiritual maturity. There are many seasoned saints that are stuck in their own "terrible twos" and they don't seem to want to move on. Are there areas in your life that you refuse to submit to the Messiah?
The spiritual terrible twos can manifest in many ways.
People can be adamant about their doctrine and not willing to change - terrible twos are awfully opinionated. Other people can be totally self-centered and think that only their needs or only their problems matter - that's a temper tantrum just waiting to happen. And even some people just struggle with accepting the love of YHWH - cranky, cranky, cranky.
So, how do you know WHEN you are in the midst of being changed from "glory TO glory?" That answer is a simple - "always." We never exactly arrive. Once we get one part of our lives figured out another area pops up in rebellion. The secret is to navigate through the terrible twos without staying stagnant in any certain area of offense or hurting people in the process.
As with childhood, it's natural to experience times of struggle. That's just the "TO" phase from glory to glory. The author of Romans said that this process is actually what reveals the righteousness f our Heavenly Father. "For in it the righteousness of YHWH is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "but the righteous man shall live by faith," Romans 1:17. As we go from faith TO faith and glory TO glory we actually manifest the power of Heaven here on earth.
Take Peter, or "Kefa" in Hebrew, for example. He quickly accepts the Messiah and begins to literally follow after Him. Then in the Newer Testament we see him falling and flailing and making a mess of himself. One time Peter says that he believes Y'shua is the Messiah and then minutes later the Messiah is rebuking the enemy from working through Peter. Looks like a terrible two tantrum to me. Yet, Kefa made it through these times of testing. He grew spiritually and became a leader and author of two books in the Bible. He was changed from glory TO glory and from faith TO faith. How about you? Which areas in your life are you struggling to overcome? How does being in the spiritual terrible twos allow your faith to grow and reveal the righteousness of YHWH?
The truth is that YHWH loves us TOO much to leave us as we currently are. He wants us to press forward and reveal His love to the world. The terrible twos might not be fun but they do lead to a type of maturity that is greatly needed in the body of Messiah. As you go through this phase be confident that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Messiah. Trust Him to work in you and through you for the good.
No comments:
Post a Comment