Beloved Children

It's crazy how pregnancy completely changes your mindset.  Now, I promise, I haven't turned into one of those woman who can only think about pregnancy stuff and baby bottles and room ideas...it hasn't completely taken me over.  But, I would be lying if I said that it hadn't really changed the way I think...especially when I hear or see something that has to do with children...
Like my morning time with the Lord a few days ago.  I'm slowly, slowly working my way through the book of Ephesians, and I have been completely humbled and amazed by the Lord's faithfulness and goodness in His sovereignty.  It was no different with the first verse of chapter 5, "Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children."  Of course, right away, my soon-to-be-mommy ears perk up at the word children.  I think about how toddlers learn to imitate everything:  voice sounds, clapping, throwing, blowing kisses...they're little mini-you's moving at miles per hour.  It makes total and complete sense...it's how they learn, how they absorb, how they change from being a child to becoming an adult person, capable of thinking, conversation, movements...everything. If they have no one to imitate, how are they supposed to know??
It's such a beautiful, perfect picture of our dependency on the Lord.  If we do not always put our eyes upon Him, if we do not make Him our focus, if we do not center ourselves upon Him, how are we supposed to learn holiness, righteousness, mercy, and goodness???  Like small, innocent children whose eyes are fixed on mommy and daddy for everything, our eyes must be glued to Him as our Source.
But, that's not the entire picture...there's more.  I love how the last two words say, "beloved children."  It's such a sweet picture of the fact that the Lord loves us so much...and His love is so perfect and pure.  But what I love even more that Paul uses the word "children"...but He's writing to Ephesians believers...people who were not of Jewish descent.  They were Gentiles, who were supposed to be completely outside from the promises and covenant of the Lord.  Except the Lord had a purpose and a plan.  If you go back to chapter 1, verse 5, Paul says that, "In love, He predestined us for adoption as sons."  The Ephesians were not part of God's people by birth...they didn't naturally have that heritage or destiny.  And because of the Lord's grace...they didn't have to.  He chose them to be sons and daughters...with an identity totally and completely in Him. 
The same is true for us.  It's such a beautiful picture of His grace.  We, who have been made to be His children only because of His goodness and mercy to us, can now be called His beloved, and look to Him...as our Father.
I pray this week that you might find your eyes constantly turning to your Father, as His beloved child, striving to imitate Him.