The Provision of Pain

Tonight Aiden had another first. He experienced the pain of a burn. We were over at a friend's house for dinner and the men (as they are wont to do) were outside grilling amalgamated meat products and chicken and Aiden was floating in and out of the house. He was warned as he came outside that he wasn't to touch the grill because it was hot and it would hurt if he disobeyed. Aiden knows that fire is 'hot'. He even says 'hot' in reference to things which are, indeed, hot. All of this was to no avail tonight; he touched the grill and found it to be very, very hot. After comforting him, we men got to talking about the event. It occured to me that in a sense, I'm glad that he touched the grill. Now, instead of a nebulous notion of hotness, he now has a tangible reminder that hot things really are hot and cause considerable pain. From now on, 'hot' takes on a whole new meaning (and hopefully) impact. I couln't help be reminded of Job who declared that he had heard of the LORD but now he had seen him. As a theological corollary, it seems to me that this is what the sacraments are all about. They are tangible words. Physical pictures of the Gospel.

I also had a chance to talk with Aiden about the costs of disobeying. He needs to trust that Daddy knows what he's talking about and needs to obey Daddy's instructions. If he doesn't obey, pain often results. Sometimes, as in tonight's case, I don't need to discipline Aiden myself--the results of the action itself are the discipline. Aiden now knows that Daddy has his best interest in mind when he tells Aiden 'no'. Adam had the same situation before him. "Don't eat of the fruit or you will die." Will Adam trust his Father's Word? Or will he interpret reality according to his own dictates? Alas, Aiden like Adam, failed to trust.