On December 11th our family went from being a family of four to a family of six. As Tiffany and I welcomed our twins Rocco and Ciana into the world, we knew our lives had changed forever.

Experiencing the birthing process is simply amazing. To see God’s creation of new life in such a real, powerful, and personal way is incredible. Witnessing that, I can’t help but think, “How can anyone question that there is a creator God? How could anyone deny that we have a higher power who intentionally created this for us, designing a personal and intimate connection between us and our offspring?” The whole thing is an unbelievable process.

Watching our babies enter this world, it’s so evident to see how beautiful and perfect they are and yet so helpless and dependent. In a way, I’m kind of envious of how reliant children are. They are completely dependent on others to provide so they easily trust their parents. My kids always trust that the next meal will come—that they will be taken care of—so they don’t worry or try to take control. I wish that I was more like that in my relationship with God. I aim to trust God no matter what step is in front of me, knowing that He has equipped me to handle it for His greater purpose. He has a plan and He is my strength. God cares for me, my wife, my kids even more than I do and He is much better equipped to provide!

With two new little ones we are getting very little sleep but are filled with so much joy. It’s been amazing to see how much our two older kids love their baby sister and brother. And I realize more than ever now how much my kids are growing. I see myself in my son every day. He loves to test the boundaries—he’s stubborn. Luca’s at a stage where he’s completely transparent; if he knows he did something wrong, he will tell the truth about it.

Me: Did you bite your sister?

Luca: Yep

Me: Did you flush Mommy’s wedding ring down the toilet?

Luca: Yep

(True story. We’ll laugh about it someday…)

I’m seeing selfish tendencies creep into my son’s life now. There’s a line kids cross between dependency and selfishness, and as they get older the selfishness grows as the dependency fades. He wants to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. As a parent, it’s hard to watch him make wrong decisions and then correct him when he’s so stubborn, but we need to because we know what’s best for him. He knows that what we say is the truth and it’s for his own good and yet he still rebels.

The same is true of our Heavenly Father. What He says is the unwavering truth. We may think what we want is most important or beneficial for us but He knows better.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” —Proverbs 16:9

There have been so many times in my life when I thought that my plan was best and yet it wasn’t panning out. I was so focused on what I thought was ideal—getting into the NFL right out of college, having only two kids and being done. . . . Every time we were just settled down in a new town with new friends and a new team. Although none of these dreams were bad, God had a much greater vision—a much better journey—for me. God has always sent us to a place so much greater, far exceeding our expectations.

Looking back, I’m so glad that God’s plans surpassed my self-focused hopes for what my life would be. Looking ahead, I hope to trust and rely on His purpose more than I rely on my own.

—Tyler Clutts

Tyler Clutts is a regular contributor to The Increase and will be providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Tyler’s Increase profile here: http://theincrease.com/author/tylerclutts/

 
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