The other night Sabrena and I were sitting in our house watching T.V. It was a calm and peaceful night. Our kids were in their rooms for bedtime and were actually quiet, so we were savoring the moment. Then ripping into the quiet, my son bolts from his room holding his Halo action figure. The legs had been viciously ripped off of the Halo figure. He places the action figure in my hands, informing me that it was broken. He then asks if I can fix it. I informed him in a sad voice that I could not fix the figure. Quickly, he runs into his room and brings me another broken piece of the figure. Handing it to me, he looks at me with those believing eyes and says, “Now”?
Noticing the teaching moment I ask him the looming question.
“Son, were you playing too hard with this toy?”
Sheepishly, his eyes downcast, he replies, “Yes”.
Immediately, His eyes light up and he presents what he believes is the perfect solution.
“You can just buy a new one!”
As I proceed to tell him that he needs to take care of his toys, and that we do not have the money to buy him a new toy. With this new information, he starts to cry. Not the cry that says, “How dare you not get me a toy?” but the cry that says, “I hurt not having this toy.”
He crawls up in my arms and asks me, “Why don’t you have money”?
I gently explain that we are rich. God has blessed us with a wonderful family, house to rent, and food on our table. We then talk about him doing chores around the house to earn the money to buy another figure.
Why do I tell you this story? I have felt like my son before. As a matter of fact, there have been many times I have felt this way about my relationship with God. God has blessed me with things before that I have broken or ruined. I ask Him to “fix” it only to have the delayed response, “You must work for it,” instead of the immediate fix. Truth be told, there are some things in life that seem to take an eternity to heal. Knowing my halo is broken and crushed and that I have disappointed my Dad, I crawl up into His lap looking for grace and the reassurance that He loves me. I sit there longing for Him to give me some direction. It is then, at my humble state, that he hugs me and gives me His direction. He reassures me that His love is never ending. He hugs me, kisses my head, and reminds me that I am His child. Finally, he puts me back down with a gentle hand and encourages me to learn from my mistake, to gain wisdom from the experience. All of us need that reminder. Come to Him today, crawl up into His lap, ask for forgiveness, and leave your cares with Him. It is then that you will gain clarity and direction in your life.
-Brad