Our children have always enjoyed giving gifts to their mother and me. When they were very young, they proudly gave us pieces of paper filled with scribbles; we lovingly displayed these scribbles on the refrigerator for all to enjoy.
Our youngest daughter is now five, and most recently she has taken great delight in presenting bouquets of dandelions to my wife. She proudly arranges the yellow flowers in a little vase and presents them with joy.
It is age-appropriate for a five-year-old to show her love for her parents by giving them dandelions and scribbled pictures. As her parents, we receive these gifts of love with pleasure.
As children grow, their expressions of love grow as well. Our older children, ages 11 and 13, no longer give us dandelions or scribbles. They express their love through hugs, gifts, kind deeds, and thoughtful words. If our older children were to present dandelions as expressions of love, my wife and I might wonder if they were showing genuine love or just playing a game.
We know that our children will continue to mature in their expressions of love as they grow older. As always, the love they show will be gratefully received by their parents.
This makes me think about the way I show my love to my Heavenly Father. When I was very young in faith, God was delighted with my scribbles and dandelions - various childlike gifts of love and faith. My early steps of obedience brought Him glory. My elementary worship delighted His heart. My little coins in the offering basket honored Him. He patiently listened to my simple prayers.
But now that I've grown in faith and in the knowledge of Him over many years, I ask myself: have my expressions of love matured as well?
Fellow Christian, I pose the same question to you.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).
Showing posts with label Parents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parents. Show all posts
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Thursday, February 3, 2011
"Jesus Loves Me!"
My daughter Emily just turned three years old. I want to share something that has brought Kristin and me great delight over the last few weeks.
Probably three weeks ago I was working on something in the kitchen while Emily and Kristin were resting and watching a video in the back bedroom. Suddenly, Emily raced into the kitchen, and with excited joy on her face, shouted, "Daddy, Jesus loves me!"
Though she had heard this truth countless times, she finally got it. She understood for real. It excited her heart and stirred her soul.
This scenario has repeated itself many times since. Every time she exclaims, "Jesus loves me," she exudes great joy all over again. It delights our hearts as her parents. I believe it delights her heavenly Father's heart as well.
Oh, the simple faith of a child! I believe this is one clear example of the childlike faith Jesus encourages us all to show (Matthew 18:1-4). May we all feel that same unfettered joy every time we remember how much Jesus loves us!
Probably three weeks ago I was working on something in the kitchen while Emily and Kristin were resting and watching a video in the back bedroom. Suddenly, Emily raced into the kitchen, and with excited joy on her face, shouted, "Daddy, Jesus loves me!"
Though she had heard this truth countless times, she finally got it. She understood for real. It excited her heart and stirred her soul.
This scenario has repeated itself many times since. Every time she exclaims, "Jesus loves me," she exudes great joy all over again. It delights our hearts as her parents. I believe it delights her heavenly Father's heart as well.
Oh, the simple faith of a child! I believe this is one clear example of the childlike faith Jesus encourages us all to show (Matthew 18:1-4). May we all feel that same unfettered joy every time we remember how much Jesus loves us!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Breaking Free
This morning I (again) read the account of Isaac in Genesis 26. Isaac was afraid that ungodly people in Gerar would see Rebekah's beauty, take her for a wife, and kill him. So he lied and told everyone she was his sister. As with most lies, he was found out, but in this case he was found out before there was much collateral damage from the lie (see Genesis 26:6-11).
We shouldn't be surprised by this crazy idea Isaac had. Although he was not yet born when it happened, we have two recorded times when his father Abraham did the same thing (see Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20:1-18). In Abraham's situations, the lies brought greater harm, though still God protected Sarah from being violated or harmed in any way. Abraham's lie was at least half true (see Genesis 20:12)--Sarah was his half-sister. But what he told was still a lie, bringing difficult consequences for him as well as for those who tried (in innocence) to take Sarah for their own.
When I ponder these three accounts, I remember again the danger of a lie. But that is not what hits me most today. The questions now on my mind are these: Why didn't Abraham teach Isaac about the lesson he learned so Isaac wouldn't make the same mistake? Or what was it in Isaac that caused him to want to follow in Abraham's footsteps in unrighteous decisions rather than righteous decisions (at least, in that instance)? We don't know, maybe Abraham did tell Isaac about the mistakes he made and warned him not to repeat them, and Isaac still stumbled into the same sin. Personally, I wish we knew more about these situations so we could learn from them, but the Lord didn't include every detail in His Word, though He gave us exactly what we need to know.
Today as a father, I think often about the things I have brought into my life from my parents, as well as the things my children will take from me. I have great parents, who raised me to love and serve the Lord, but I still made some enormous and painful mistakes of my own through the years. And now I pray daily for my own kids, but realize they, too, will sometimes perpetuate my mistakes rather than the things I most want them to gain from me. I wish for them to follow only my good examples, but inevitably they will make their share of mistakes in life.
Each of us has a challenge to break free from the mistakes of our parents (mine weren't perfect either (sorry Mom and Dad!)), and pursue the righteous life that our loving Lord has called us to. And although we will not be perfect parents, we want to let our kids see our God-honoring lives in hopes they will learn more good than bad from us. Sin is a horrible master, and we are all slaves to sin until we find the grace of God, then we continue to struggle with sin the rest of our lives. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to "throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and...run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Yes, the sin hinders and entangles us, but we--with the strength that Jesus gives us--work to cast it aside and pursue the things that most please the Lord.
In this we will find great freedom and joy.
We shouldn't be surprised by this crazy idea Isaac had. Although he was not yet born when it happened, we have two recorded times when his father Abraham did the same thing (see Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20:1-18). In Abraham's situations, the lies brought greater harm, though still God protected Sarah from being violated or harmed in any way. Abraham's lie was at least half true (see Genesis 20:12)--Sarah was his half-sister. But what he told was still a lie, bringing difficult consequences for him as well as for those who tried (in innocence) to take Sarah for their own.
When I ponder these three accounts, I remember again the danger of a lie. But that is not what hits me most today. The questions now on my mind are these: Why didn't Abraham teach Isaac about the lesson he learned so Isaac wouldn't make the same mistake? Or what was it in Isaac that caused him to want to follow in Abraham's footsteps in unrighteous decisions rather than righteous decisions (at least, in that instance)? We don't know, maybe Abraham did tell Isaac about the mistakes he made and warned him not to repeat them, and Isaac still stumbled into the same sin. Personally, I wish we knew more about these situations so we could learn from them, but the Lord didn't include every detail in His Word, though He gave us exactly what we need to know.
Today as a father, I think often about the things I have brought into my life from my parents, as well as the things my children will take from me. I have great parents, who raised me to love and serve the Lord, but I still made some enormous and painful mistakes of my own through the years. And now I pray daily for my own kids, but realize they, too, will sometimes perpetuate my mistakes rather than the things I most want them to gain from me. I wish for them to follow only my good examples, but inevitably they will make their share of mistakes in life.
Each of us has a challenge to break free from the mistakes of our parents (mine weren't perfect either (sorry Mom and Dad!)), and pursue the righteous life that our loving Lord has called us to. And although we will not be perfect parents, we want to let our kids see our God-honoring lives in hopes they will learn more good than bad from us. Sin is a horrible master, and we are all slaves to sin until we find the grace of God, then we continue to struggle with sin the rest of our lives. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to "throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and...run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Yes, the sin hinders and entangles us, but we--with the strength that Jesus gives us--work to cast it aside and pursue the things that most please the Lord.
In this we will find great freedom and joy.
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