Parallels

I believe things in this life are, to a great extent, a representation of equivalent elements in the spiritual life to lead us to a greater understanding of “the big picture.” The Bible supports this belief where it depicts the creation of man in the image of God and the earthly parables Christ used to teach spiritual lessons.

Through this representation, I have learned that lessons learned in the child/parent relationship can aptly apply to our relationship with God. In my maturity, I can look back to my youth and recognize my naiveté, impatience, and impertinence, and I can see the same traits present in my spiritual youth, even now. As children, we learn our first lessons in doubt, fear, pride, and selfishness. We also have our first lessons in love and faith.

All have experienced the child side of this relationship, but not everyone sees the parent side. By being a parent, I have gained insight to the heart of a parent that, I believe, is impossible to truly understand without living parenthood. From my earthly experience as a parent, I better understand what my parents went through and what God endures as He waits patiently for us to mature spiritually.

The earthly relationships that fail or disappoint us, I believe, should lead us to that rock-solid spiritual Father/child relationship, which contrasts with our earthly experiences. Learning of misplaced trust in fallible humans should lead us to God as the only just and dependable caretaker.

Wrestling with my own very difficult efforts and failure to be the perfect, loving parent taught me the limits of my own ability to show love, even the limits of my love itself. I have to also acknowledge human love from others is very limited. It causes me to stand in awe of the depth and breadth of God’s love, His demonstration of perfect love through the ultimate sacrifice of His own dear Son, just to gain more children like His perfect Son.

I think earthly lessons are meant to point us to God; all things are designed to point us to God, for this is the purpose of all of creation (Rom. 11:36).

“All things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Col. 1:16–19).

Where we humans fail is in generalizing earthly faults as God’s characteristics as well, refusing to trust Him as omniscient and perfectly just, as perfect love. Instead, we are to learn to not rely on the earthly relationships; they are put in our lives to cause us to depend on Him. Overtime, we should learn He is just and faithful, and He works things out for His purpose. We see only the here and now. We can’t see the greater goal ahead. “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). God shows us in the Bible that He brings life out of death (John 12:24); He brings glory out of suffering (Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 1:5–6). As we look back over the things we’ve suffered and see how we learned and grew through it, we learn God can produce good things even out of our mistakes. We learn the “big picture” is not about us but about Him. We learn to trust Him with our lives and that we live for Him.