I'm thinking about the fun I had on Saturday evening with my little nephew. We read together. Entering his bedroom, we surveyed the broad spread of toys across his room. "Let's get this cleared up before bedtime" I say. Nephew says "No let's not". My sister sighs and starts to sweep up the toys. I ask my nephew how he feels about his mother doing this work in front of him, "I'm not bothered" he says. "I didn't make the mess, my brother did." I persist, "but how do you feel about your mum tidying up?" "I don't feel anything" he says. "Nothing."
I mussed how I might be able to influence my nephew to help with the task. The usual methods are, threats - "If you don't help, you won't get....." Then there are inducements - " When you help tidy, then you can have...." Neither actually engages with an altruistic desire for sharing the load, showing love and consideration. Both the threat and the reward could be cranked up to be made stronger and more forceful. In the long run, both are unsatisfactory I feel. What we do today is what we are most likely to do tomorrow. Do we want to live like this?
The room is now tidy, My nephew lies calmly on his bed.
I reflect that I am observing a picture perhaps familiar to the Creator. We are given the choice of whether to engage in 'life'. We might be induced to enter through threats, or rewards, but the Creator chooses to invite us to engage...as partners, one of the family. We can lie back on our pillow and say "no" if we choose. And there will be nothing much that can be done.
Like parents, so powerful, every day keeping their children alive. But that power they hold is just influence. Nothing else.
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