Father.

June 20, 2011 in Fathers, Insights with 2 Comments

I’m not a dad. Not yet. I’m hoping that in 3 years or so I’ll be able to hold that title. In the meantime, I have spent some time reflecting on what kind of father I want to be. Do I want to be the t-ball coach dad? Perhaps (if I end up with daughters), I will be the scary first-date dad. Maybe I will want to focus on being the encourager, or the wise, or maybe even the funny dad? I’m sure I’ll probably end up as a mix of some of these things and probably some negative things too: The I-was-busy-at-work dad, the because-I-said-so dad, or the frustrated-with-my-own-problems-I-don’t-have-time-right-now dad.

But as I thought more and more about the concept of being a good dad, I continued to drift back towards the concept of God. God is pretty much the perfect Father – sometimes merciful, sometimes disciplinarian, always loving. If I’m going to end up being a good dad, it’s going to have to be because I strive to be like God. My goal for the next few years is this: in order to prepare for fatherhood I’m going to work on my following. I probably won’t read any parenting books for a while, but I will spend some time seeking God and trying to learn from His character.

What was your dad like? What one positive thing do you remember about your dad or another father figure in your life? What characteristic of God the Father do you want to illustrate to your children?

Small.

June 17, 2011 in Insights, Ocean with Comments Off

Almost 9 months ago, my wife and I made a transition in our lives. We moved from Kansas to Virginia. We loaded everything we owned into a 22 foot moving van, drove 24 hours away, and started anew. I’ve never lived anywhere near the ocean, and for the first few months I went every chance I got. I’d go read at the beach; I’d go walk the shoreline. I was absolutely in love with the concept of the ocean. The vastness of it, the endless crashing of the waves, the undertow taking waste back out to sea. I couldn’t get enough.

The other night I took a friend who was visiting from Kansas to the beach. As we walked the beach and stood ankle-deep in the cold water, I was struck again by how immense the ocean is – there are people around the world who could look out over the same vast expanse of salt-water. I was taken aback when I thought about how God had created something so huge and powerful. I reflected on the power it would take to speak the ocean into existence, and the concept that God is the one who marks out its dimensions.

But then I thought about me. I’m not powerful; I’m pretty small. I’m really just a tiny speck. My life will last 100 years tops and yet the ocean has been around for so much longer. I began to think of some of the problems and things I was worrying about in my life, and remembered just how insignificant they really were. Not that they don’t matter. The problems are still there, but seeing them in light of God’s vastness brought a perspective that wasn’t there before.

What locations have you been to that reminded you of how big God is? Does it help give you perspective to your problems and challenges when you think back to that experience?

Image from Free Digital Photos. Net

Enemy.

June 16, 2011 in Insights with Comments Off

I’ve always struggled with the part of the New Testament where Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies. Rarely do I find myself in a position of being willing to pray for those who intend me harm. Don’t get me wrong; I’m fine with praying for terrorists, because I’ve never been directly impacted by them and their hate. I find it much harder to pray for those who drive me crazy on a regular basis. I find it tough to pray for the person who short-changes me at the register or someone who talks on their cell phone during a movie. I know I’m petty, but the people who wrong me personally are the ones I don’t want to pray for.

Last week this became ever clearer to me. I was a witness to what it means to love those who hate you, to help those who try to do you wrong. The only catch – I was the enemy.

I was driving home from work with my wife (we carpool) when I noticed my turn was coming up. I clicked on my right blinker and began to change lanes. As soon as I began to shift into the next lane I heard a car horn and nearly jumped out of my seat. As I glanced back, I saw there was a car in my blind spot. I had totally missed him. I gave my I’m-an-idiot look and waved an apology. However, I still needed to get over and traffic was fairly heavy. The guy in the car slowed way down to make room… for me.

When Jesus talked about loving your enemies, and showing grace to those who don’t deserve it, I’m sure this is the attitude/action he was talking about. When has another person shown you undeserved grace? When have you been shown mercy when someone had the right to be upset with you?

Image from Free Digital Photos. Net

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