My son is impressive, I have to admit. Recently, the idea was suggested that he may benefit from hormone treatment. When I first heard this, it was like various flashing colored lights went off in my head and thousands of repeating dings sounded in my ear as the confirmation to explain his struggles. See he is 16 years old.... And he still throws the biggest tantrum fits and booby displays at the least bit of opposition, just like a young toddler would throw.
Now I admit this has been a small source of embarrassment but mostly it has been irritating that I haven't been able to help him "grow up" and be a man. To develop some sort of emotional resilency because our life (for some unexplainable reason) seems to be more on the chaotic and not-as-smooth-as-the-Joneses side of things. It's not been a good combination for him. And to have those circumstances with no coping ability has really worn on my patience. Time-outs, natural consequences, and all other parenting techniques have seemed to fail in making any type of "lesson learned" result. And so a "throw my hands in the air" and "roll my eyes" has become my default for his behavior.
Well, with the possibility that he is lacking the chemical make-up to be mature, my perspective has changed a little. The other day he was working on his algebra studies. And needless to say, it was getting frustrating to him that what he thought he understood as the process was lacking the discipline of regular practice to internalize. I remember experiencing that same greivance as I was learning algebra so I can appreciate where he was coming from. But as usual, his response was a little out of proportion to the frustration of a new learning curve (That's a polite way of saying he was being a big baby)
I observed his out-of-control response and then noticed that (this time) his struggles were really a valiant attempt to conquer the emotional instability. Mind you, he wasn't succeeding, but I could see that he really was trying to subdue what he was feeling. If he truly is lacking hormones, than the ability to be in control is non-existent. So I was much more merciful and understanding of his struggles. I do have some sense of compassion left.
I couldn't help but think of my own "inabilities" to behave or become how I desperately want to. It truely is exasperating. And then I thought about how all of mankind could be compared to my son and his insufficient hormones. We have the potential to be so much more than we currently are in our fallen state. But even potential needs a little intervention in order to progess or develop at some point.
It isn't until we come unto Christ, the true physician, that we receive our (comparable hormone) treatment to rise above what our best efforts can produce alone. The irony is we have to put forth our best effort, have tests run on the disease symptoms we are experiencing (after all we can do), and go to our appointment with the doctor (come unto Christ) before we can have the desired prescription.
And so, once again, a new perspective is changing my viewpoint toward mankind. Could it be that everyone truly IS doing the best they can with what they've been given. Or in this case, what they haven't been given. Our fallen nature is lacking, whether that's a spiritual hormone, or the discipline of regular practice to internalize virtue. But no matter how valiently we attempt to rise above, a prescription is necessary and has to be sought after.
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| Doc Terminus from Pete's Dragon |
I know the world has LOTS of prescriptions for mankind on how to make them happy or healthy or wealthy or any and all desireable objectives. Experts seem to have the formula or remedy for every type of ailment. It makes me think of the con artist doctors, traveling from town to town with the cure-all remedy in a brown bottle (which was really a placebo) in order to make a profit. But like many doctors out there who prescribe a pain killer or band-aid versus a healer who finds the source of the problem and addresses the real issue, worldly prescriptions may appear to fix it, but the underlying deficit still exists.
The creator himself not only can make-up the difference, where we lack. He IS the difference. He IS the master healer. Whatever chemical ingredient is missing for our growth, He IS the Source to obtain it.
