Thanks for the Reminder!

The other day, my daughter Kaelyn (4yrs old) and I had a day to ourselves.  Both of the boys were off to school and my wife was out at work.  Anyway, we got up early, had a little something to eat (coffee for me) and we started to plan our day.   I started throwing ideas her way: “Hey, let’s go to McDonald’s Play Land”, “How about Chuckie Cheese”, “Let’s go to the Park – never mind, it’s raining”. 

These were all my ideas.  My thought was to get her out of the house on this very rainy day so that she may have some excitement, something to do…to rip and run like 4yr olds are suppose too; heck what kid wants to stay trapped up in a house with her father all day?

 Well, her thoughts were different than mine.  Her idea of a fun day with “Dad” was just that…a day with “Dad”.  She said “Wait here, I’ll be right back…OK?”  Then she went to her room and came back to where I was carrying her Dora the Explorer Back-Pack and it looked STUFFED!!

We sat down and opened her pack to see what was inside.  There were clothes, hair pieces, her toy cell phone, her grocery list and markers and crayons.  She said, “OK, what do you want to do?”  I told her that I would like to color.  Coloring was painless, no running, singing or playing Ms Mary Mack/dressing dolls.  Yeah, let’s color!

As we began coloring, her instruction to me was “Don’t worry Dad if you go outside of the lines…it’s OK”.  I said thanks and asked her what color I should use on the object that I was coloring.  Her response was “It doesn’t matter, whatever you want it to be…alright Dad?”  Man, I was having a blast, just her and I. 

Then I began to realize how special this moment really was…not only for her but for me!  How precious, of all of the choices on things to do and places to go, her delight was to spend time with me…her Dad.  And not just to spend time, but to spend “special” time with me, time where all of the rules and expectations were not relevant (any color, it doesn’t matter if you go outside of the lines).  She honestly didn’t want anything from me but my time and attention!

She pulled out a composition book and started to write all of the words that she knew.  Words like “IT”, “THE”, “DOG”, etc...  She said “Dad, spell your name”.  I did exactly what she asked…”K…E….I…T….H”.  She said “What’s that spell?”  I said that it spelled my name.  She said “No Dad, spell your REAL NAME.”  I told her that I did spell my REAL NAME.  Her response back to me was, “No, YOUR NAME IS DAD, and my name is Kaelyn.”

She began to write a story about me of all that she can recall that I am to her…”My Dad is BIG, My Dad gives me presents, My Dad is strong and carries me to bed at night, My Dad isn’t scared of the dark, etc… It warmed my heart, this exchange of ours. 

You see, I reflected on this special moment and looked at my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  How the time I spend with Him is important to Him and how I affectionately call upon His name as “Father”.  It made me realize even more so, that when I spend time with Him that it is indeed TIME SPENT WITH HIM!  I often find myself coming to Him with a list of things that I want.  Am I truly spending time with Him or simply coming to Him with a list of demands?

Kaelyn made the words of David (below) a living word for me.  I already knew that “My Father” could do anything, that He wasn’t afraid of the dark, that He gives me every good thing….I needed to be reminded that when I spend time…REAL TIME with “my Father” that nothing else matters. 

When I spend time with “My Father” there is joy, peace and love.  I am compelled to tell of His goodness and mercy towards those who call upon His name!

The Psalmist writes it this way:

“Blessed are you who give yourselves over to GOD, turn your backs on the world's "sure thing," ignore what the world worships; the world's a huge stockpile of GOD-wonders and God-thoughts. Nothing and no one comes close to you! I start talking about you, telling what I know, and quickly run out of words. Neither numbers nor words account for you.  Doing something for you, bringing something to you-- that's not what you're after. Being religious, acting pious-- that's not what you're asking for. You've opened my ears so I can listen.  So I answered, "I'm coming. I read in your letter what you wrote about me, And I'm coming to the party you're throwing for me." That's when God's Word entered my life, became part of my very being.   I've preached you to the whole congregation, I've kept back nothing, GOD--you know that.   I didn't keep the news of your ways a secret, didn't keep it to myself. I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough. I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth for myself alone. I told it all, let the congregation know the whole story.  (Psalm 40:4-10 The Message)

Controlled by Time?

Have you ever noticed how we are continually manipulated by time?  Time dictates when we wake up, when we are to eat and when we are to go to sleep.  We keep time devices on our nightstands, in our pockets and on our wrists.  We can find timekeeping devices embedded in our cars, microwaves, refrigerators, ovens, computers, stereos and telephones (landlines and cell phones).

With all of this attention on time, to be on time, to complete on time…no wonder we’re stressed out!  We have too much and so much to account for , so much and too much to deliver and so many and too many places to be…on time!

I remember a few years ago having lunch at Union Station here in Washington D.C.  I was sitting in a restaurant that overlooked the main concourse of the station.  It is very picturesque and very striking to behold all of the artistry that is a part of Union Station.  As I sat there, I couldn’t help but notice all of the doors/entrances and exits that seem to surround this main concourse.  We were literally in the middle of the Station! 

I started to think, where are all of these people headed and why does it seem that they are all in a hurry?  I saw people walking fast, some were running while others were obviously upset because of running late (my assumption).  What were they late for?  What were their hopes and dreams?  What appointment will now be missed because of missed connections at the station? What was it in their mind that they now felt was delayed?  Where is their final destination to be?

While these things are stress factors for most of us, the CLOCK continues to tic and tic and tic….  Time never stops, therefore we never stop!  We never stop to pay attention to the important things in life, we never stop to take in the beauty; the picturesque view of what God has created!   We never stop to say thanks!  With all of this perpetual motion, when and how do we find rest?  How are we to relieve the stress and the conditions that cause stress in our lives?

Isaiah relates God’s Word as given to him by saying “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning to Me and resting in Me you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength…” Isaiah 30:15

If you have found yourself busy with the things of life and life has been stressing you out, return back to the one who can give you Peace, to the one who can give you Comfort, to the one who can restore your Joy!  This is one connection that we all MUST make…don’t miss it!!

Return and re-establish your relationship with Jesus, the Christ!  He says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The Time is NOW, tomorrow is not guaranteed…to any of us!