What Happened?

This morning my son was playing magically with his buddy.  They were on the floor, completely enveloped in the little world of their cars!  I just love when they play so purely. 

I just left my son’s room after an epic 58 minute tantrum when I was trying to put him to bed.  He was so hysterical, he couldn’t catch his breath, but he would not back down.  He screamed, kicked, threw himself on the ground… it was a disaster.

 What happened to my precious little man who was happy and smiling with his cars this morning? 

As I sat on his bed and he screamed, I had a brief flash of my life as a follower of Jesus.  One moment I can be so intimate with Jesus that I hear His voice and feel His presence.  Then a moment later I can have horrible thoughts or be tempted or drift to such a far away place.  What happened?  I was just living according to the Spirit, now I’m living according to my flesh.

My son’s behavior was completely unacceptable.  It was outrageous.  It was more than upsetting.  Somehow I saw a piece of myself in his rage and I was convicted.

 “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Romans 8:5