WE CELEBRATE IRGY

Not quite sure on the spelling of that word, “irgy”, but it is pronounced with a hard g.  Irgy was one of my grandson, Cade’s early words to express how he was feeling, something very difficult for a toddler to do.  Cade learned to say he was “irgy” and his astute mom and dad realized that he meant angry.  Then they could help him process those feelings, ask the right questions, give him some adult wisdom in dealing with his childlike frustrations that left him feeling “irgy”. 

My daughter, Rachel never scolded Cade for misstating what he was feeling.  Instead, she  spoke to Cade about the feelings he was expressing.  Had she scolded him and made him repeat after her to say the word correctly, disregarding the feelings expressed through his little word, Cade might have learned that he had to say everything correctly in order to be accepted, to get answers, to learn.  That would have been stifling to his inquisitive little mind.  Cade was maybe 3 during his “irgy” times.  Now he is 6 and irgy is no longer part of his vocabulary. He is creative with words and pictures, a delight to this grandma’s heart.

When we come to Jesus we are brand new, like little children, like Cade.  We enthusiastically and hopefully unabashedly try out our new lives and new language in this new Kingdom with God and our new family, and sometimes “angry” comes out “irgy”.  God looks beyond our words, hears our hearts and responds to us in a way we can understand.  He knows we won’t always say “irgy”.  But for now, it’s ok, because we are sharing what we are feeling inside and opening the door for God and others to look into and speak into our lives. 

Jesus did only what he saw the Father doing. God celebrates and accepts each of us wherever we may be along the journey, and his love spurs us on to maturity. We are called to follow suit and accept people as they are, where they are.  We are called to put aside the natural reaction to correct the way someone may express what is in his heart, perhaps for the sole reason that it is not how we might say it.  Instead we bless him for where he is getting it right and encourage him to continue to seek God and freely share what he learns.  Even if it comes out “irgy” for now.  We celebrate the ones God loves.  We celebrate what God is doing in their lives.  And yes, we celebrate “irgy”.