Life can be extremely tedious. We get up every morning, take a shower, clothe ourselves, feed ourselves, go to work, do our jobs, come home, eat dinner, watch a show and go to bed. If you have children, you just add more people to the equation for which you must feed, clothe, bathe, and take care of, but it still happens with a sense of regularity, (albeit chaotic regularity). There is a mechanical nature sometimes to life. The clock winds up, we get up and go, we go to bed and start the process all over again. If we are lucky, we get to experience something fun or exciting once or twice a week. Maybe we get to go to a movie, a concert, or have friends over. But there can be a sense of dullness to life, even if that dullness is wrapped in the chaos of running here, there, and everywhere as we try to survive. This is especially true if a person has children. As Christians, we seem to only experience worship and the presence of God on Sundays or perhaps in a few moments of quiet and reflection we may get in the Word or in prayer that week. Seeing God's hand or glory in our lives is infrequent and typically we are only reminded, or remind ourselves, of God's love, grace, and holiness on Sunday mornings. Yesterday, however, I experienced the glory of God with a lawnmower and later with a children's book.
When I came home from work I went to mow my neighbor's lawn. Theirs was broken and I offered, (or rather my wife offered me), to cut their grass. It wasn't a big lawn and it wouldn't take more than 15 minutes or so. The weather was cool and it would be an easy job. My one and a half year old son, Mack, accompanied me. He has a fascination with machines and especially those that make noise. He followed me around the whole yard until I finished. When I would come to the end of a row and turn around, he would turn around and follow me to the end of the next row of grass. When I would turn a corner, he would follow behind like some dutiful puppy. It was extremely cute to watch and it made me very proud as his father to see my son so interested in noisy machines.
Yet even more profound to me was the fact of my son's inherent and God given connection to his father. There are plenty of men in our neighborhood who cut their grass. There are plenty of men in our neighborhood who use noisy machines in their yards or garages. My son is definitely interested in those things, but I am the only one he will follow around the yard when I'm working outside. The reason is there is a God given reverence and connection my son feels for me. It's not because I'm a great dad, (though I hope I get it right on some days). It's not because I've somehow brainwashed my child into thinking I'm God Almighty. No, I believe it is because God has put something in all children to need their parents and to view them as special, unique people on this earth. To children, nothing more significant to them than mom and dad. God put in kids a need to connect to and love their mom and dad and nothing that can replace that need. Therefore my son views me, his dad, as an awesome, special man, unlike any other. Believe me when I say I have not earned this respect, awe, or love. I am a decent father on some days, on others I stink entirely. But it's not because of who I am or what I do that my son follows me like a lost puppy. It's because God has created children to look to their parents this way.
This is where I see the glory of God in the daily grind. I see a child who loves me, not necessarily because of what I've done, but by God given design. Therefore I realize what an awesome responsibility I have as a father. I realize the gracious blessing of God to get to experience the role of fatherhood, the love of a son, and the expression of manhood in a little boy as he follows his dad mowing the grass. I see God blessing me with love, grace, laughter, and holy duty. In the regular work of cutting grass, I experience the divine.
Later, after dinner, after bath time, and all the monotonous events we experience on a nightly basis, I sat with my daughters and read them a book on my bed. There was nothing tremendous about the book, just a typical children's story book filled with colors, shapes, and a simple story line. One daughter sat on my left and read some of the words to me. My other sat on my right, leaned up against my chest, and randomly yelled out words or phrases she felt were or should be in the book. Every now and then Annie, who was on the right, would gently pat my leg. When we were finished, they hugged my neck, kissed me on the cheek, and went to bed. All of this took less than five minutes. Yet in those moments I experienced love, tenderness, childlike devotion, and the "femaleness" of two little girls. It was altogether holy, divine, and awesome. It was a moment of grace and blessing on a normal Monday evening.
Please don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those guys who sits around and thinks spiritual thoughts while trying to get the kids to brush their teeth. Most days and evenings are harried affairs where I'm trying to survive the day and get the kids fed and in bed by 8:00 so I can have a few quiet moments watching TV with my wife. But yesterday, for whatever reason, God reminded me that he has tremendously blessed me and that I can see him and his glorious goodness in even the day to day moments of my life. God is glorious. He has a creative and holy design in moms and dads, boys and girls. He has created life with purpose and grace and allows us, even in the monotonous moments of life, to experience and see his glory.
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above you heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."
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