Reflection: One of my favourite movies is Home Alone. While the family is prepping for the big family holiday, the annoying neighbour kid wanders over to the van and asks the driver a bunch of questions: Do these vans get good gas mileage? How fast does this thing go? He is dismissed by everyone but like every annoying kid he still manages to get in the way, rummaging through the bags while the older sibling does the head count. This of course leads to Kevin being left home alone.
For dads, our kids can often feel like that annoying kid. At the worst time, when our mind is on something else, there they are. James tells us that even as adults, we can be like that with our heavenly Father. But he won’t think we’re annoying. We can always ask questions and God will be generous with us. We can have faith that he has the answers for us! We need to create a similar safe space for our children to ask us questions because they trust us, just like we trust God. Our earthly relationship with our children should mirror our relationship with God. Let’s create space for our kids to ask us questions and use it as an opportunity to impart wisdom on them, while also pursuing our Father in heaven for the wisdom we require.
Questions: What are the moments in your life where your kids (or other
children in your life) need space to question and wonder with you? What questions do you need to ask of God to gain wisdom in your own faith?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being accessible to us. Thank you for allowing us to ask questions and seek your wisdom. May we have the ears to hear your voice. Amen.
We’re reading the Bible until September 8th with Rick Pekan. Rick is Bible Society Australia’s church and community relations coordinator in WA. With his wife Louise, Rick has been a foster carer for 40 children as well as having four children of their own.