My Life 6 2 2017

Yes, I am Part of the 99%

Yes, I am Part of the 99%

I would say that I am part of the 99%. If you ask parents 99% of them will tell you that they will do just about anything for any one of their children. I am not a rich, smart or talented man but my wife and I make sure that our children have the best food we can get them, the warmest clothes to wear and the safest home to live in. When they work hard, meet and exceed expectations we give them the best gifts that we can afford. We want them to have better than we did, be smarter than we were and grow to be stronger than we are now. We do this because of love. All that we ask is that they abide by the rules of our house and we do our best to teach them to be the people they can be. God is the same. He is the parent of all and he has so many gifts to offer. He only asks that we love him and follow his two rules which all 10 commandments were built upon. Love the Lord your God with all your mind, body and soul and love everyone around you as you love yourself. God even sent his only son to teach us how to love and who even took the blame for all of our sins because of his love for us. He sends the Holy Spirit to help guide us through our days. All we have to do is believe and accept. When we accept him and partake in his sacraments we receive grace and gifts that help us to even achieve more, more than we could ever achieve by ourselves. But do we accept him? Do you accept God? Are you willing to let him into your life so that he can love you and share with you what he has to offer. Little is more heartbreaking for a parent than to see one of their children turn away from them and never come back. The pain a parent feels when a child refuses the love and knowledge of their parents is pure agony. To see a child make mistakes and feel pain because they refuse the knowledge of their parents is horrendous for a parent. We worry and lecture and even sometimes scream to get through to our children. To try and keep our children from making the same mistakes that the parents have so they don’t have to feel the same pain because as parents we love. Many times what children see as a parents anger is actually a parents fear. And like a good parent God is waiting and hoping that his lost children will come home so that he can share with them. Because God loves us and he doesn’t want us to feel needless pain, but it’s a two way street. We have to turn around and accept him. Are you ready to come home to God?

John 6:37-40

37All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. 38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; 39and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. 40For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

A Thought: Through a Child’s Eyes

I don’t like sports. I don’t mind playing them but really, I don’t like sports. If a game is on when I go over to someones house I don’t mind and I might watch a bit but I am more of a news guy. I am sure some are thinking, “Yeah baseball is boring”, or “Football is just too violent”, or more likely someone this thinking, “What is your problem?”. I can chuckle at that but the answer is simple its because of my childhood. When I young my father loved sports and still does to this day. I can remember sitting in the living room with him while he watched some event. We only had one T.V. and it was where the family hung out so I was probably in there trying to watch or playing with some toys. All of a sudden and eruption of anger would come out of my father. “What ARE YOU THINKING”, he would rage, “THAT WAS THE WORST CALL IN THE BOOK”. Many a time I can recall him getting upset or excited when his team rode to victory and being so young (I am guessing 3 or so) it startled me and scared me a bit to the point I related sports on TV as something to steer clear of. 

Its amazing how children process things that we take for granted everyday. My children hate the news cause its a bunch of old people talking about boring stuff that they know nothing about. God understands that children are the foundation of a culture, a nation, a world. Children see things so simply and love so honestly. Not clouded by “grey areas” they can find simple solutions to complex answers sometimes. Jesus has taught that he wishes we would love and think like children.

Matthew 18:2-4

…2And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.… 

It has been said that before by many a wise person that much can be learned from a child. I learn from mine on a weekly basis. I find true joy in how they digest the world and the things that they say. God just wants us to love him. Loving God is the most important thing. For if we love God then we can accept what teaches and put it into practice. We should love God because he gave us the gift of this world that we live in. We are because of him. Sure there may be discontent and pain in this world but that is because of man’s inability to love freely and pursuing his own desires. What does God want us to do? He wants us to love. That’s it, that’s what it all boils down to. That is what he wants to build the world on, innocent, pure love. 

When you are a child you have to be rather humble. You wait to do much of anything when you are a baby. You eat when fed. You play when let go. Learn as you are taught. As we get older and more independent we loose that humility. We depend more on ourselves and get frustrated when others don’t do what we want. We get mad when we miss that green light at the intersection. How dare it turn red? Doesn’t it know who we are and that we are going somewhere important. I can laugh cause I can recall thinking this many a time. 

If you have children I encourage you to love them with all your might. Forgive them when they do the stupidest things and go back to loving them until it hurts again. We are all God’s children who he loves. He sent his son Jesus to give us the lessons of a lifetime to love God and how to love each other. God is sadden when we make bad decisions and hopes for our quick return to right ways. He is happy for us in our triumphs and cries with us in our sorrows. But no matter what, through it all, he is always waiting at the door waiting for us to return home with arms wide open to give us a big hug. 

Matthew 19:13-15

13Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; 14but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." 15And he laid his hands on them and went away.