THE PROBLEM
It was a day that we knew would come eventually. Its inevitability was reluctantly embraced. For the most part, we were content to live in the moment.
However, the day came upon us. It was clear to all. It was time. Our youngest child needed to give up her passy (pacifier to the uninformed). It has been with her daily, sometimes hourly, now for whole life. Her first 12 months have had the passy at arm’s reach. She ‘needed’ it. The passy helped her during her early medical trials. It calmed her when her stomach was upset. But now, we can all agree, she has become like a grumpy chain smoker who is one square short. She got fussy with or without it. It was time to quit.
So we did the unthinkable. My wife trimmed the pacifier. Zoe kept putting it in her mouth and let it fall out. It was useless (and comical). It couldn’t deliver.
WHAT I’M LEARNING
It was instructive for me as I watched our little one year old look at that pacifier with such dissapointment.
She has begun on her life-long class of idolatry. She is learning that idols cannot deliver.
I couldn’t help but think of myself and my attempts to calm and sooth my fussy heart with various pacifiers. I have had personal conflict soothed by movies. I have had financial trial soothed by food. I have had emotional pain and ran to sports. I have felt rejection and aimed to find acceptance. And whenever my soul was crying, fussing, or throwing its self-serving tantrum, I found over and over again that the idols could not deliver. My various saviors could not save. At the end of the day I am more hungry and hurting more than before. The passy, as it were, was clipped. It doesn’t work.
I see something different however, when I now watch a child who is weened (if you can say that about a pacifier). She sits on Momma’s lap. She puts her head back. She finds consolation in the faithfulness, tenderness, provision, and love of her Mom. She is content with her without a pacifier.
There is great instruction for me here as I watch our daughter. Because I still run after false saviors. I still try to find deliverance, redemption, and salvation in stuff. I forget about the soul calming and soul satisfying love of God through Christ. There is beautiful sufficiency in Jesus. He identifies with and meets all of our needs. He is the Savior. He truly satisfies the soul. It is a testimony to my remaining sin that I run to other stuff or people instead of him.
The words of that weak early disciple are once again true, “I believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9.24)