God or Vegetables?

 

"Dad, Magnolia is wrong!"  Elise said to me firmly -- quite of nowhere.  I wondered what brought this disagreement about.  Magnolia and Elise are both four-years old and they are both very certain about their opinions, but both are occasionally (often?) wrong.

"What is she wrong about?"  I asked.  

"Magnolia says that it is God that makes us grow," Elise said.  "But I told her she was wrong!  It isn't God that makes us grow, it is vegetables!"

I chuckled a little.  Elise does eat her vegetables well.  "Is Mac and Cheese vegetables?"  I asked her.

"Yes," she said.  Then thought for a moment, "No, Dad, Mac and Cheese is not vegetables, but it is still very tasty."

"I think you both are right," I said.  "Vegetables give you special vitamins that help you grow big and strong, but without God, we wouldn't be able to grow either.  There are probably other things that it takes to grow besides those things.  This is something that is multi-factorial, Elise."

We moved on to discuss other important subjects, but I could tell that Elise was still certain that she was right, while her friend was incorrect.  One thing is certain, Elise is growing -- as are all of her siblings.

I have heard parents say that they wish they could keep their children small forever.  I suppose that they really mean that they would like to freeze time and stay in a particular special moment, but if Elise was correct, all you would have to do is stop giving your children vegetables and they would cease growing.  From what I have seen, even children who mainly eat French fries and chicken nuggets still seem to grow -- and no, French fries are not a vegetable.

Psalms 73:26 says, "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever."

Magnolia is more right than my daughter.  It is God who gives us strength and helps us grow.  I know that I depend on Him and the darker the day, the greater is my need for the courage that only He can offer.

We do need to healthy things, like broccoli and tomatoes, to be healthy and grow.  Even more than that, we need to have our feet on the Rock and our hand in the hand of our Heavenly Father.  He will lead us in ways that helps us grow -- even after we have attained our adult height.