My Father and Me!
My son wanted a game console for his birthday. I was
vehemently against it because I believed it would lead him into a world I
didn’t understand and away from his father.
Nevertheless, what good father denies his child good things
when they have every reason to deserve that and more? Being a barely willing
participant, I declined riding in the car when his mom picked up the game
console from the store. On his birthday, my son was a rubber ball of
excitement. The moment the gift was unveiled he exploded. That game console was
the only thing he wanted and like Ralphie from The Christmas Story he nearly put his eye out.
From a distance I watched him connect his remotes,
interchange playing the games, and destroy his digital foes. I knew he was
happy but a side of me wondered how I would engage in an activity that was
completely foreign to me.
In the Gospel of St. John chapter 5 verse 19, it says, “So
Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself.
He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son
also does” (NLT).
In this one verse we get a glimpse into the divine
relationship between our God, the Father, and Jesus, the Son. Prior to this, the
Jews had not long witnessed Jesus heal an excuse ridden lame man that had
suffered for 38 years. The response of the Jews was to label Jesus a Sabbath
breaking blasphemer. They missed the miracle because they were maximizing who
Jesus was instead of what Jesus had done. Jesus was not operating independently
of God because their relationship is without rivalry. It is the power of God at
work through the Son. It is not a matter of inferiority or superiority but a
combined strength that is able to heal, restore, strengthen, and provide in
ways beyond our understanding.
It is like the slogan surrounding the importance of unity
for our city - #strong. Admittedly, I was envious of the toy. Yet and still
just as we have been brought to understand that our Father in Heaven is not
only greater than any object or being, He is also the one that helps us to be
great when dealing with any object or being.
When I least expected it, almost a month after my son received his game console, he begged me for batteries. Of course, the batteries were for one of his game remotes. After I put the batteries in, my son sat next to me and said, “Can we play together for a few moments? I need your help to win this game.”
Good Dad to the rescue. A few moments turned into a few
swiftly passing hours and I actually got pretty good. Before long I was able
to show my son a few tips.
As parents, we need to take advantage of those unique
moments God gives us with our children. Their DNA is proof that they are a part
of us but their habits, mannerisms, and attitude about life is what we teach
them through being an active part of their lives. It’s ok if you don’t get
everything that they are into, take the time to learn and you will recognize
that it is only a reflection of what you do – just on their level.
His favorite game is about story telling and of course, you
know I love a good story!
