However, as most parents know, there are times when being a parent is a difficult, frustrating job. I had one of those times last night. Noah is battling illness, and woke up inconsolable around midnight. He screamed off and on for the better part of three and a half hours. He didn't want a bottle, didn't want to be held, didn't want to be put down, and certainly didn't want to sleep. He finally exhausted himself around 3:30 in the morning.
As I reflect on this now (since at the time my thoughts were limited to "please go to sleep... Dear Lord, please help him go to sleep"), it connects to where we're going in Colossians this week. Col 3.20-21 says this: Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Just like we spoke about marriage, where the emphasis was on how marriage modeled the relationship between Christ and the church, this relationship between parents and children also shows how we relate to our Heavenly Father.
Even as our own kids are told to obey, we are also expected to obey our Father. The difference is that God doesn't need to be told not to provoke us. To the contrary, God is ready to encourage and to support us in ways that earthly parents can never match. As much as I love my sons, I cannot hope to love like God loves.
That is my goal as a parent, to love so much that they don't want to do anything but obey, because they know I have nothing but the best in mind for them, and want them to succeed. Just like God wants for us. So why are we consistently (metaphorically) awake and screaming at 3 am? I believe that just like Noah got caught up in his present circumstances of illness, we get caught up in whatever is going on in our own lives as well. We are too easily distracted.
Or is it something else? I welcome your thoughts and comments, and you are welcome to join us as we explore this idea further on Sunday at Cornerstone.
