When I Look Up

By Ron Gallo

Most Christian books have a problem. For they speak from an “adult perspective”, and not a child’s. They leave out, the most important aspect of the foundation when walking with God, and that is the child. They say. do ABCDE, to get a better walk with God. That’s fine, but we forget about the growth of the child and there characteristics, is the Christian life template for an adult to look at and learn from.

This is the reason why children come before adults; it’s so we can see who God sees. God doesn’t see us as we see each other as adults, in arrogance. God doesn’t care about your social status, or you can have more degrees than a thermometer, you are his child. God sees adults as tall children. So now let’s look deeper into a child’s life, and how it relates to Gods foundation... the family. Understanding the child, then you will understand yourself, and what God wants from us as adults.

Looking at the genesis of a child we can see many attributes and characteristics of a child that God wants to see in us. We can shadow, and be a reflection of “childlike”, not childish as Jesus said in the book of Mathew. Jesus clearly states ‘unless you’re like a child, you shall not enter….’ Right off the bat, Jesus is drawing the line in the sand.

Children have many characteristics that we miss as adults, and forget that we went through these same characteristics ourselves. From looking up, having child like faith, being able to be led, humility, believability, no pride or self righteousness etc. This fascinating book being different, will enhance any reader/parent to take a stronger look at their own Christian life, and check off the boxes to see if there in alignment with Gods standards. There a chapter on being blind when your awake, yet we trust him in sleep, and other great gems of wisdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664197145

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Ron Gallo.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

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Rev. date: 04/07/2022

Xlibris

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Thought for the day:

The spider teaches us patience as well as perseverance. We need to be patient and wait on God for all our matters.

I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand (Charles M. Schulz).

As your days are, so shall your strength be (Deut. 33:25). God knows the amount of weight. He planned it that you can handle for each situation and will give you the right amount of strength (like a chair/pew) to hold you for the weight you are dealing with.

What is in the well of the heart will come up through the bucket of the mouth (J. Vernon McGee).

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PREFACE

Out of the four books I authored, this might be my favorite. God put something in my heart and conscience to write a book about children. We read so much about adult Christian living, which is fine, but we rarely speak about the child first. Understanding the child (no coincidence God made them first) will make us adults understand ourselves and God, but we must first go through the eyes of a child. Like King David, Joseph, Moses, Paul, and even Jesus, God the Father doesn’t expect us to understand the mysteries of our world as a child, but to be obedient. Well, even though the above prophets were adults at the time, God always looks at us as childlike, not childish. I’m sure God wasn’t too concerned about Adam and Eve in the garden, having them do push-ups and running laps. God advised them not to eat from the tree, and they did—disobedience. As an adult, we should be mature, obtain wisdom, and get understanding. But when it comes to the mysteries of this world (which is God’s divine purposes), then we need to be humble and childlike. This starts as a child, so an adult can see who God sees and what he expects. My hope is that this book will give you a different perspective of life through the lens of a child, which will give you a better understanding and direction of God in your life as you move your piece on the gameboard, not needing the dice this time.

My chapter 7, Trusting in Darkness, will really make you think about God more and about yourself. How can we trust him in darkness when we’re asleep, yet when we’re awake, we can see, but yet still in darkness. Where is our faith then?

For Today

When a child is in need, do they run to another child or their parent? Then why do we run to another child?

Who defines that child, another child, or their parent? Who defines you? Now you know the rest of the story.

No parent wants their child to fight their own battles; then why do we? We’re his child. No good parent wants their child to act in a manner in which they do; then why do we? Now who is setting the example, us as adults or the child?

God looks at the heart, not the head. Today, we hire people by their head, then we have to live with their heart. Instead of hiring them by their heart, and you can fix /teach the head. God can work with the head, but he needs the heart first. Many people look good by others who made them look that way (T. D. Jakes’s sermon The Comeback Kid).

Just about everyone has gotten a photo developed of themselves. You’re proud of that picture.

In Isaiah 41:13, God says he holds my hand, just like a parent with their child. Isn’t that wonderful? God holds our hand because he is our father.

We all look in the bathroom mirror and look for the dirt spots. We want to look nice before we go out. How about God’s eternal mirror (the Bible)? When was the last time you looked at the dirt spots there? The bathroom mirror is temporary, the Bible eternal. Don’t settle for short-term sweets to forego the long-term destiny. Sweets are in minutes; destiny has no time—endless.

People say, I’m not religious. God doesn’t want you to be religious. People say, I talk to God every day, but I ask them, Does he talk to you? I can know. I’m married for over thirty years and see a ring and a piece of paper, but if I’m twenty feet away from my wife and children, is that a marriage or an agreement? Like two guys go into business, Joe handles sales, John handles service, and if one doesn’t keep his part of the bargain, then a relationship is communication, spending time with that person. Spending time with God in church with other believers, reading his word, being in prayer. Think of all the people you spoke to today, in a week, a month, and now how much of that 86,400 seconds he gave you in that day. Did you speak to him?

People make people their gods, like in sports, the pope, a priest, biblical characters like the Catholics do. They are all idols. God uses people in certain ways for his plan, but you don’t pray/worship them, only in God. At work, do you get your direction from your supervisor or another employee mainly? There is one God, not many. It’s not what you do for God; it’s what he did for you two thousand years ago or else the cross would have been in vain.

What voice does a parent want a child to hear, their friend or them? Is your heart not beating and you’re not breathing when you’re asleep? Think about these two points, and now you know who you need to look to in all aspects of your life.

Children look up to parents, and parents look up to children. Why? We’re all God’s children, so why are you looking at other children and not looking up—like a child does to our heavenly father for guidance and direction?

Would you agree that an adult knows more than a child? Would you agree that a child cannot intellectualize an adult? Would you agree that you are his child? Would you agree that good parents don’t expect a child to understand the mysteries of their world, but just be obedient, correct? Would you agree that you don’t control your own heartbeat, breath of oxygen, brain or organ function, or destiny? Would you agree that you weren’t with God when he made the world, the universe? God advised Job of that. Now that we agree, can you "really see beyond your breath?

Ninety-nine percent of the things we fuss, worry, or complain about is really nothing; and time and oxygen are wasted on it, depleting your lifetime (tanks). Be a creator, not a complainer. You only have so much time while you’re on vacation. Eventually, like any vacation, you have to return home.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1:     The Beginnings

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Thoughts for Today:

See the loaf of bread, not the slices. God looks at the big picture while we’re looking at the slices. Have you ever heard of anyone buying a loaf of a slice? Take life one slice or step at a time.

If you really want to experience new and wonderful things through creation in your mind, look through the wrong end of a telescope (Ron Gallo).

The Foundation: The Family

This is the foundation unit that God has planted on this planet. God uses the illustration of the garden to show the growth and nature of the family and the growth of the Christian. The seed is planted; and to grow it, it needs fertilizer, good soil, watering, sun (son), and good caring just like the child growing up. No wonder why in the book of Proverbs King Solomon said, Train up a child in the way they shall go, and when they are old, they shall never depart from it. There is no guarantee for anything, but overall children brought up in a caring home structured with a mother and father, and good extended family, the child will flourish and be more stronger and ready for higher demands as they grow. Children born in poverty (i.e., urban homes) these children fare less (not impossible) and wind up getting more into trouble growing up from dysfunctional families. Just look at the statistics/prison records. Both boys and girls need both parents, and especially their father for support, discipline, guidance, encouragement. It winds up the mother has to take on this role as the father because he is either too busy working all the time or running around or in jail. The Far Left radicals like BLM (hate lives matter), Demoncrats, and other leftist America-hating groups want to disguise this and bring down the family even further and blame it on cops and the conservatives, especially the white people. If you’re black and conservative and stand up for real issues, many times their own race will go against them. Remember, it’s not the cops; it’s the culture.

The radicals, Satanists want to destroy this country from within and destroy the family as we know it. For if you destroy the family, you get rid of its moral, ethical, godly values from which this country was founded on. That’s one reason they want to take away our history by removing the statues, etc. Well, I have a bulletin for them. God is still in control, and it’s his universe, not ours. Just as he put President Trump in office, he will take care of all those demons, just like he did Pharaoh in his time. They haven’t met their judge yet.

a. Why did God make children first?

b. Obedience vs. mysteries/understanding.

c. Study the Bible books of understanding.

d. Look at the obedience of David, Joseph, Moses, Paul, and even Jesus to the Father.

e. See the world through a child’s eyes, not our own.

f. What are we as adults? How does God see us?

g. Loving, having faith, without the candy bar.

h. They learn from inside out.

i. God is in the Garden.

j. How they greet the world.

k. We trust God during the night then we awake and become God.

l. You trust in God for your heartbeat, why not the other things? It’s the same God. Is it "convenient for you to have a heartbeat and oxygen?

m. You did not do anything, apart from his mercy and his grace, so get rid of the two words from your dictionary, the words I and luck.

Chapter 2:     The Traits of All Children Instilled into Them

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Thoughts for Today

Have you ever had a shadow follow you? God created the shadow, so is he following you?

Don’t try to change your spouse, but change yourself.

Verses on being a childlike adult:

Matthew 18:3

Mark 10:13–16

Luke 9:47, 48

1 John 3:1

1 Peter 1:8

a. They’re innocent and humble.

b. They’re always in awe.

c. They ask questions, want to learn.

d. They’re honest.

e. They’re trusting.

f. Their heart is what God looks at.

g. They’re always looking up, why do we stop.

h. They see the Crayola box, not the crayon (soccer field).

i. Life is a process before birth, and when they ask, we ask. It’s a constant moving wheel.

j. We are unaware of the mysteries of their world.

Chapter 3:     The Mysteries of Their World

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Thought for Today

While I was praying for God to set things up because I prayed for God to set things up my way, while I was working on my goals, he was working on me. Ask God to set you up right first before he can work on the plans he has for you. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about him. We all have an agenda, so does God. We’re not trying to fit God into our agenda; we need to fit into his (T. D. Jakes).

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Thoughts for Today

A child trusts even when they don’t understand; they’re not meant to understand, so if a child doesn’t understand the mysteries of their world, how will you as an adult? You can times that by infinity. God made children for that reason, for when we see them, we see ourselves.

Receive the kingdom of God, like a child (Matt. 18:1–35).

Remember Christmas growing up and even now if you have children. The child always had faith that they would get that present they wanted—the airplane, the toy horse, soldiers, the Barbie doll, etc. Yet the unknown of the present was a mystery they couldn’t wait to see. Look at life like every day is a Christmas tree with presents around it. The tree and presents is a fact/gift that you’re still here and God is not done with you yet. The presents are both the things we like and don’t like, but we open them up anyway in darkness. And having faith and trust that the best present we get will not be the one with the nicest gift wrap, the biggest, the neatest bow, but the one that he gives to make us better for him and not ourselves, through character building. (See Jeremiah 29:11; Hebrews 11:1; Deuteronomy 31:6; Romans 8:24, 25; Mark 9:23; Jeremiah 17:7; Psalm 31:24; Romans 15:13, 12:2; and Isaiah 5:2–5.) These verses will bless you—have childlike faith.

a. Understanding.

b. Faith.

c. Obedience/discipline.

d. The foundation/example you set for them.

e. It’s all about a garden, a tree, and understanding.

f. How we see our children, how God sees our children.

g. Children and growing up compared to us.

h. H. From a teacher’s perspective/tips for the parent

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Special Thoughts to Live By

Does your garden (life) have weeds? If yes, pluck them out or else they will destroy you. These can be sins, people holding on to you to bring you down, calamities in the house, etc. Many times pruning/trimming the tree will not do It; you have to pull the problem out from the roots—get to the root of the problem. If not, you’re just putting a Band-Aid on a bigger problem—then eventually you will need a tourniquet.

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Chapter 4:     The Foundation to a Building

a. How do they see you—example (You are their world)

b. Dad and Mom responsibilities

c. Who is your foundation? What is it built on?

d. Culture plays a part

e. Show me your friends

f. It’s about the kingdom—team concept. We teach our children at an early age, that is, in sports (little league, basketball, etc.) about the team. Why does it disappear when we get older?

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Thought for Today

There is a reason why the windshield of a vehicle is a lot larger than the rearview mirror. You cannot drive down the road in life looking at the rearview mirror; you will crash. Let God take care of that—keep focused on the bigger picture.

Chapter 5:     The Silence of God Is When We Hear Him the Loudest and the Best

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Thought for Today

The silence of God is better than the talk of men (Ron Gallo).

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If your heart really looked like the image we are all used to seeing, then you couldn’t live. For without the pipes, life like love couldn’t flow in and out (Ron Gallo).

All of your past, both good and bad, God will use everything to help shape the person you are.

a. God works his best in silence—and in yours

He does his best work in the darkness. Free will and the light switch in light/dark. What’s in the dark is the light.

b. God does great work in darkness from the beginning.

c. A seed to a tree—you are in the garden.

d. Does God change the oxygen/heartbeat?

e. No worry, no pride when you’re asleep.

f. God gives you 2:1 ratio. The light switch, 8 versus 16, being free and free will. A child is 24-7.

g. Trust for the eight hours, same trust for your insides, for the 16 hours. Light switch turned off for …

h. Faith comes even when the eyes are open.

i. Do you appreciate God keeping your eyes open? So why worry open? Asleep is no problem, correct? Who controls your sleep? Is there a different god when you’re awake?

j. Seconds when you’re sleeping vs. awake.

k. God works his best in darkness.

l. Do we take advantage, or use God when we sleep?

m. We don’t want people to do it to us, why do we?

n. Do you have a sleeping contract with God?

o. Understand your sleep, then the rest will follow.

p. Free will—that can be the problem.

q. You already have what you need.

r. God does his best at night.

s. Look at the spider book on Balance

t. Look at nature, universe, your body—all understand the one basic principle being God’s kingdom. Man is the only one not to, why not?

u. God’s policy manual, his textbook for this planet.

v. It’s about the kingdom, not about you.

Chapter 6:     Understanding the Child

That’s what keeps me going: dreaming, inventing, then hoping and dreaming some more in order to keep dreaming.

—Joseph Barbera, cocreator of the cartoons Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, etc.

"If you want to really explore your mind past the next level, go past the letter Z in the alphabet" (Ron Gallo).

a. A child knows who is backup quarterback is

b. A parent doesn’t want a child to have faith and love them only in good times.

c. An adult is just a tall child in God’s sight.

d. Everything you see in a child is your self-portrait

e. All life perpetuates, that’s why you’re still here.

f. The mountain, the sycamore tree, the garden

g. A child is trusting 24-7, we about 5-8. Why?

h. A child is a preview to an adult’s coming attraction

Chapter 7:     Trusting in Darkness

a. You see what you don’t see.

b. Let’s break it down, the light switch is turned off

c. Apathy: biggest hindrance in Christian life

d. God works/blesses in darkness—his best favor

e. Trust/faith as a child

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Thoughts for Today

God is a loving God, but he also chastises his children. If you continue in sin, and don’t rebuke it, more than likely he will take you home on an early flight out of earth…. No refunds for time wasted on your vacation.

We all have gotten a card in the mail, a pat on the back that says, Congratulations, you did a good job. It really makes us feel good; it’s our human nature. Well, how about 86,400 cards or pats on the back in a day that’s the amount of seconds he gave you? Now how do you feel now? Well, we don’t think of it because of apathy. We take it for granted. That’s sad. But it’s amazing we don’t take his faith/trust for granted, why not?

Chapter 8:     Gems and Tips to Enrich Your Life (Part 1)

Chapter 9:     True Gems (Part 2)

Beautiful gems of thoughts to help you each day in your daily Christian walk with Christ our savior.

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Thoughts for Today

Days are long, but a lifetime is short.

We don’t like his tactics, but we like his results.

Can a child intellectualize an adult? A parent does not expect the child to understand the mysteries of their world, just to be obedient, right? The parent takes care of the situation, and many times the child is unaware of the outcome or the result. We’ll take that, and how can we as God’s children understand how our father does things? We, like his child, should move forward and let God take care of the situation; like the parent with the child, there is no difference. We are just tall children in God’s sight.

If you walk into a supermarket or department store and want to know everything about that store or building, you would want to know about the foundation, the electrical work, the plumbing, the drywall, the beams, the roof, etc. Do you ask the people who work or shop there? No, you would consult the builder/architect, correct? Well, if you want to know about your life, it’s not the people around that shop in your store (your life), it’s the architect/builder. People come and go, they change, they didn’t design you or weren’t with you before you were born and will not be after you exit this earth. You purchase a house, and you want to see the plans, the blueprints, right? Well, you have the blueprints to your life; it’s called the word of God, the Bible. See what the builder has designed. Psalms says we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

In Mark 14:34, we see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane troubled in stress just before his arrest. Crucifixion was the cruelest method of execution (see its history) that the Romans exhibited. What proceeded that in torture was unimaginable. God uses the garden in the Bible several times as a teaching moment. It started in the garden with Adam and Eve) and ended in the garden. The seed couldn’t grow until it was planted in that dark earth. Jesus had to go that way, but like the plant, he spouted out salvation and glory, doing the will of his father. He arose in three days, and it showed the grave could not stop him. Jesus said we must bear our cross to follow him and be planted in the ground, crushed like the grapes and olives, but we become like olive oil and fine wine. These two have to go through harsh weather elements, but after bottled, they last a long time. We must be crushed like the olive and grape. God portrays this in his word. The key is not to stay in this mode or not let others bring you down, but rise up and move forward.

In Luke 6:34 and Isaiah chapter 43, God knows my name. That’s all you need to know, like a child. He/she doesn’t have to be concerned about being strong and popular; the child feels comforted that their mom and dad know their name. Why do we think different? It’s called pride.

CHAPTER 1

The Beginnings

There are many books that talk about the adult Christian and how he or she should live with God, but very few that speak about the child and understanding why God made the child first. Understanding that, then you will know where to start on the game board in the Christian life. Knowing about the child is knowing and understanding about yourself. Let’s dwell together into the understanding of the child and how God will relate that to our adult lives. It’s like I spoke about in my first book, entitled Balance, and my other book in the series entitled The Spider and the Saint. We spoke about learning from the spider and understanding its way (Proverbs chapter 30) to help us learn about ourselves and our relationship to God as Christians. A must for every reader wanting to know God’s principles.

Since conception, a child is a living human being, as much as you are reading this book. Unlike what the lunatics say, they are on their way to a devil’s hell (Ron Gallo).

You are you, there will never be another you, ever. So try and be someone else, be you.

So many times we spend time looking at others, when we should be looking at ourselves. To grow my plant, I cannot look at someone else’s garden without looking /tendering to mine.

If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost (Zig Ziglar).

A.  Why Did God Make Children First?

God made children first so we can see how God sees us. If you think about it, we are tall children in God’s sight. God doesn’t see us like we see each other—with arrogance, that is, I have a master’s degree I’m better than you, I make six figures, I’m number one in my skill, etc. My friend, God couldn’t care less, you could have more degrees than a thermometer; he cares about the person, not the platform; the resurrection, not the résumé; the cross, not the creed. God looks at the relationship, not religion. The Bible says he is no respecter of persons. When you look at children, you see a process from the three trimesters in the womb since conception, to birth, then the process of growing up. The child is humble, innocent, in awe of things, they think simple, always asking questions, always seeking answers, etc. The entire process of growing up is what God wants in man through the same humbleness and being playful, in awe. God wants man to be childlike, not childish (read book of Mathew).

These are the things God sees the adult person, compares, and wants man to be that of a child.

1. Humbleness/innocence. Be that of a child. Society looks of that as weakness, God looks at that as strength. The Bible says, "When I am weak, I am strong, my grace is sufficient for thee (2 Cor. 12:9–11). I don’t have to be strong, he is.