Through the eyes of a child
Well, we took the boys to Disneyland yesterday and had a blast. However, it seems Silas is getting a little too comfortable there because at this point he's been quite a few times and he knows exactly what he wants to do. Dusty was just commenting this morning that our boys aren't going to appreciate it as much because they'll get to go more often than most kids. Very true! Don't get me wrong, Silas still gets really excited about going, but he also is a little more demanding about what he wants to do and when he wants to do it. He is very persistent about what ride he wants to ride, which most of the time is Dumbo. But hey, I will cut him a little slack. He did spend the entire day traveling the day before and we had to get up pretty early to drive there to meet Dusty (he was at an ACSI Convention with Christian High). In all his excitement, he also did not get his usual scheduled nap in. So we were at Disneyland from about 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. - pretty long day for such a little guy with no sleep! We did SO much stuff though and it was definitely worth the trip.
It's always fun to watch Silas get so excited. He got to see several parades where he saw Santa and of course Mickey and all the usual characters...but the kicker was that he got to see Buzz Lightyear, Woody AND Lightning McQueen. It's so amazing to see things through the eyes of a child. In his world, they are real! These are his favorite characters from his favorite movies...and here they are right in front of his face. I wish I could get inside his head for just a second to see what he's really thinking. All I see is the fascination on his face and hear the wonder in his little voice as he tells me what he sees. It's funny because at one point last night Dusty and Silas were standing in line for Dumbo. I was sitting down with Eli feeding him his bottle and getting him to sleep. Well, I just sat there watching all the parents with their kids. You realize that even though going to Disneyland is fun for us, we really go for the kids. What makes it interesting is I saw parents carrying big bags, pushing strollers, holding their exhausted kids on their shoulders or in their arms (obviously exhausted themselves)...and even though its a tiring day and can turn out to be expensive from all the food and nonsense souvenirs - you do it because you love seeing the joy in your kids faces. Even when they do get a little whiny and start complaining or acting up, you give them the benefit of the doubt and realize they are just tired. It was just funny to me because there was one dad in particular that got my attention. Here he was, carrying a load of stuff and following around his 2 little girls while they decided what ride to go on next (it happened to be Dumbo). So this guy looks completely out of his element...what I mean by that is if it weren't for those two girls, Disneyland would be the absolute last place in the world he would be. So that's why I say, its funny the things we do for our kids just because we love them and we want them to experience fun and happy things. We don't want to spoil them or give them everything their heart desires, but we do love to give to them.
But it just made me think about God's love for us, His children. Being a parent gives you a little more understanding of unconditional love. I love many people - Dusty, my parents, my family and friends - but there is something special about your child. Not that I love my children more, but its a different kind of love. I cherish that relationship so much and I also thank God that I have the privilege of being a parent because it gives me a better perspective of my relationship with Him. It's funny because being a parent also gives me a much greater appreciation for my parents - and I must say, I'm much more forgiving of their mistakes. Because I know I've already made plenty...and I'm just beginning! I pray that God gives me the strength, wisdom and patience to be a God-honoring parent and handle my two precious gifts with care. It's a scary job thinking about raising kids! Who am I to raise another person...I certainly don't have it all together!
But to my point- I know that I want to give my kids the best. The difference between my love for my kids and God's love for His children is that His love truly is unconditional. No matter what we do, no matter how we fail Him, it will never affect His love for us. Yes, He disciplines His children, but He also gives more abundantly than we even realize. We settle for so much less than what He offers us because we choose to do so much on our own will. Sometimes its hard to have faith because the tangible is much easier. God can seem so distant and incomprehensible. But, He is our Father who loves and desires an intimate relationship with us. I pray that I will come to love Him more as Father. My knowledge and limited understanding of God will get me no where...what I seek is the relationship. I pray that I will truly come to a better understanding of my relationship with Him and that I will seek out all that He has to offer. I pray that He will give me more of a child-like faith and that my role as a parent will help me to better understand my relationship with Him.
God, give me the wisdom, courage and faith to do what you've called me to do and be the person that you desire me to be.
0 Comments