Confessions from a Dad Who Is Trying

I am a dad who is trying to do the best job I can. Some days are better than others. Today was one of those days when I had a, "Oh, ok, I get it" moment.

I was helping Ethan get ready for school while we watched an episode from his favorite cartoon, "Pokémon." If you aren't familiar with Pokémon, there are like a bajillion different characters with a gazillion different attributes, powers, and abilities. I cannot overemphasize this fact: he knows them all. Literally. So while we were watching the show this morning, he wanted to tell me every last little minute detail about the characters highlighted in the program. But it was early and I wasn't in the mood. He wasn't really alert enough yet to frame a coherent thought without infinitely more pauses, "ums" and "uhs" than actual intelligible words. The result was I only heard a fraction of what he was saying. I was looking at him, only half-way listening, and trying to nod and offer verbal cues pretending that I was paying attention. That was when I noticed how totally passionate he was about this moment he was sharing with his dad. I felt guilty and then gave him my undivided attention, although I still cannot tell a Dragonite apart from a Rhyperior.

I felt convicted because I knew I needed to listen. Sharing this moment with me was meaningful to my son, even though it really didn't register in my pre-dawn malaise. He felt it important enough to share something that interests him so much and I was barely paying him a lick of attention. Then it hit me: how often do I, in my prayer time, stammer and stumble through my words while going on and on about things that might seem pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things? Yet God loves me enough to sit and listen to each and every word with His divine ear tuned especially to the cares of my life; cares that might not mean a whole lot to anybody else and pale in comparison to the full purpose God has for me. But God loves the interaction. God loves it when we share what's going on in our lives, and the opportunity to relate to us in a very loving and personal way.

The Bible tells us over and over again that God loves us like a holy parent; but friends, that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. In those moments we as parents might tune our little ones out, get frustrated with stories that go on and on and on and on, and not really try to figure out why things mean so much to our beloved about which we could honestly care less, God is really truly listening and showering us with His presence. God really truly cares about the things we care about. He always pays attention, listens to us intently, and enjoys sharing in the things that make us happy. Shouldn't that change the way we interact with others, especially those we love so dearly?

So I confess that there are times I really don't do that great of a job in listening to Ethan when he's talking about his love of Pokémon. But because I love him, he deserves the best out of me. I know there will be days in the not-too-distant-future when I'll long for these innocent conversations from his childhood. So my prayer today is that I can stop what I'm doing to show my son the attention he deserves, knowing full well that God is always there for me. Like I said, I'm a dad who is trying. May love shape us all after the image of God!

God Is The Contractor In The Remodel Of Your Life

I ran into a local retailer a while back to pick up a few items. On the window was a sign that said something to the effect of, "Pardon our mess, we're renovating to be able to better serve our customers." When I went inside, I was flabbergasted—the store was going through a major remodel. Aisles were all out of place, items were strewn all over, and there was a nearly overwhelming odor of paint and other chemicals. I considered turning right around and walking out. After all, I thought it made perfect sense for the store to have just closed down until the remodel was complete. That way, its faithful customers would not have to see or smell the state of our trusty disheveled market.

I was pressed for time, so I decided to go ahead and get what I needed, and boy am I gad I did! Though I was initially stunned by the unkempt appearance, I could see something magical taking place before my eyes! Fresh paint was going on the walls. New flooring was being laid. All sorts of decorative touches were being added. Shelves and the goods they held were being moved around for better accessibility and visibility. Surely it was inconvenient because everything was in virtual chaos, but it was obvious what was going on: the store was being transformed, enhanced, and improved!

It did not take long before I saw the master of the reconstruction. The store manager was walking around with the contractor, pointing out things that needed to be done, redone, or whatever. The manager was intimately involved with the work to ensure the store under her care was up to her specifications. All the work was being completed according to a plan to make it better, brighter, and more beneficial to the people who counted on it for life-sustaining food, medicine, and other products. I walked in with a grimace but out with a grin because I could not help but see the symbolism!

When we first accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, a great transformation begins to take place. As Paul says, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5.17, emphasis mine) God moves and begins renovating according to His holy blueprint. God wants to make sure that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life transforms us from the inside out until we resemble the image of His Son.

God’s divine remodel in our lives is done according to His holy purpose. These changes might seem a little out of order, hectic, or chaotic, but we must hold on in faith to God’s vision for our life. God sees us not only as we are, but as we will be once the remodel is complete. Things might seem out of place right now, but God knows exactly what He is doing. As He says in Jeremiah 29.11, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” And the good news is, God is intimately involved in the remodel.

God has a plan and a purpose for your life. He wants to make you new! God wants to see you transformed from the inside out so you too can be better, brighter, and more beneficial for yourself, others, and God. The good news is, too, that this is a plan God has been working on since the beginning of time. Jeremiah 1.5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart….” And Romans 8.29 says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son….” God wants like nothing else for us to resemble Jesus and He will stop at nothing to remodel us accordingly!

So trust in God, His love for you, and the plan He has for your life. Trust in the fact He wants to make you new, and embrace the hope of a new you for a better and brighter life! It might seem crazy at first, but God wants to show and share with you the unsearchable riches of being in a relationship with Him!

Checking In On Your New Year

I hope the first two weeks of your New Year have been fulfilling. Much is made this time of year about resolutions. I have been amazed at the numerous advertisements for home gyms, workout facilities, diet programs, and nutritional supplements. All this centers on making a fresh start after overindulging at holiday feasts and celebrations. You wake up several days in a row with bloating and indigestion and it doesn’t take much to want to reform. Then when you step on the scale…egad! Experts estimate that the average American gains ten pounds of weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. There is no wonder then that just as there is a season for Thanksgiving and Christmas, January has become the season for fresh starts.

Needless to say, our weight loss efforts (or other New Year’s Resolutions) are only as attainable as we allow them to be. When we set lofty goals that are difficult to reach at best, we set ourselves up for failure. I might have in my mind’s eye a picture of Hollywood’s hottest celebrity for how I want to look, but it simply might not be attainable. Outside of genetics, there are a lot of other factors that play into these equations, ranking from the time for austere workout regimes to the money for top-dollar personal trainers and even cosmetic surgery. Then, when it’s all said and done, they don’t call makeup artists and special effects wizards the magicians of Hollywood for nothing! But I digress.

When we center our quest for fresh starts on bathroom scales or mirrors, then we fall way short. As author James Luceno says, we can look at ourselves in the mirror for an eternity and we no more become our reflection than a map becomes the land you want to visit. So for a true fresh start we must look deeper, and ironically enough, aim higher!

Our God wants to offer you the best fresh start you could ever hope for. God wants you to know the depth of His love and the warmth of His embrace. God wants you to know the power of His Holy Spirit to work on your heart and change your life!

Many of us have lived at times in our lives feeling like we have just gotten through the holidays, bloated with indigestion. Many of us know that feeling of being compelled to make a lasting change in our lives. And we all want to know the power of living life with a clean conscience, empowered for making a difference in the world for good!

So look no further than the God who created you and loves you more than anything. We cannot derive our value or beauty from a mirror or bathroom scale. But when we place our life in the hand of almighty God, then we realize we are priceless: created out of love and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Couple that with the lethargic feeling of overindulgences, and we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we need a new lord in our lives. One that doesn’t judge us by the way we look or how much we weigh, but by the potential only God Himself is capable of seeing.

Whatever your New Year’s resolution might be for 2010, I pray that you aim higher than simply to lose weight (though I confess it’s one of mine, too) or anything else. If it’s a fresh start we crave, there is no better place to turn than our God who loves us so dearly. So turn to Him, allow Him to bathe you in the depths of His love, warm you in His embrace, and empower you with His Holy Spirit! And again, may I wish you a Happy New Year!