Done Cheering

I tried approaching this presidency with an open mind: hoping he would preside with the moderation on which he ran. But I'm done cheering. I can't cheer for fiscal irresponsibility and record (and rising) deficits. I can't cheer for abortion. I can't cheer for a push to put parental authority in the control of the U.N. I can't cheer for re-definition of marriage. Lots more, but those are enough. Done cheering ... just praying.

Maybe We Should Just Cheer For Him

My apologies to any Obama fans out there, but I was not one of you during this election season. There are certainly some things that I admire about him as a person, but there are some moral and fiscal issues that I just can’t get past. To be honest, I have grown weary of politics … one of my favorite parts of “The Shack” is when Jesus indicates his disdain for “religion, money, and politics”. So throughout this most recent election cycle, I found myself as a marginal McCain supporter, just wishing there were a good fiscal/social conservative to support, and largely disengaged from the process.

With that said, I am encouraged by the unity that has been achieved, particularly the racial unity and the perceived barrier that has been broken with the election of this president. I don’t believe much in a platform of “change”, but I do believe a change from business as usual in any organization has the potential to create excitement and positive results.

But enough about what I think and on to some deeper insights. I guess I must have expressed my frustration over the election, the candidates, and the results more than I thought. I knew I had verbalized some of the topics and issues with my kids, but didn’t realize the extent to which they had considered my concerns.

I got a glimpse of the results recently as my 7-year old and I were driving to a basketball practice. He said “Dad, it’s interesting that Obama is president now and I really haven’t noticed a difference.” He said it in a tone that indicated that he thought the world might have ended now that our new president was in office. But he quickly followed up by saying “You know, Dad, we really just need to pray that he does a great job. Maybe we should just cheer for him.”

Friends, that is some good advice coming from a 7-year old. I had recently come to that conclusion myself, but am even more convinced of it now … and thankful that my kids are capable of overcoming some of the fears that I undoubtedly place in their minds. Regardless of my concerns, I will cheer for this president to do a great job, to support just causes, and to carry the mantle of protecting this nation's freedom.

Simple Treasures

Last weekend I took my seven year old to a Division II college basketball game. It was a close game and the home team won, but the basketball honestly wasn't very good. But it was a nice evening out. We sat in the upper section of bench seats. My son loved this because it provided more freedom to run around, and since there were very few people near us, there was A LOT of freedom.

As he roamed the bleachers, he got down on his hands and knees looking for treasures. Within a few minutes he found two surprising items. The first was an exquisite, antique, high-powered telescope. He held it up to his eye and stared down at the basketball court and all over the gym with his new toy. He played with the telescope for about ten minutes before beginning a new treasure search. The second item that he found was a combination laser / cutting machine. While still protecting the telescope, he began burning holes in the bad guys that had suddenly popped up all around us in the bleachers and scaring them away with the rotating cutting blade. In reality, the toys that he found were 1) a button snap and 2) a hex nut with an attached star washer. But to him, they were priceless! And when he lost one of them, you would have thought that Christmas had been postponed ... until he found a replacement ... two wooden swords (wood splinters from the bottom of the bleachers).

He has a great imagination, and can create FUN out of almost anything. He is a pleasure to be around because he enjoys even the smallest things. I pray that he will keep that fun-loving spirit even as life begins to place more responsibility on him!

Now That I Know Everything ...

I was coaching my 6-year old's basketball practice and we stayed after practice for a while to work on layups. Layups are a challenging skill for a 6-year old. It requires them to dribble, pay attention to the goal, and quickly transition from dribbling to a shot. So after a few successful repetitions, he looked up and said "Dad, now that you've taught me how to shoot a layup and I know everything about basketball, what are you going to teach me?"

The truth is that he HAS been exposed to a number of elements of the game, BUT substantial growth, refinement, and additional learning will be required if he is to continue to play the game of basketball.

Perhaps I could learn something from my son's overconfidence. A relationship with God is not an event, but a process. To mature in faith requires growth, refinement, time, and continued learning. So often I think I have arrived ... only to realize I'm more like the 6-year old who thinks he has mastered basketball! Thanks be to God for his grace and mercy to forgive such arrogance.

Is Santa Claus Real?

Our 8-year old son came really close to asking the question last year before Christmas, but he dare not ask since he had heard the phrase "When you stop believing, you stop receiving". This week, he started dancing around the question ... trying to ask it indirectly ... "Mom, why doesn't Santa at least let the kids that REALLY believe in him see him?"

Last night we had the Santa talk. I asked him if there was a question he wanted to ask me - a Christmas question. He thought for a minute and then very reluctantly said "Dad, is Santa real?". One thing I never want to do is to lie to my children. Sure, we have played along, and when questions come up that we think they might not really want answered we typically say "what do you think?". This was not one of those times. He REALLY wanted to know, and I really wanted to tell him that he didn't have to boldly proclaim (as he had with his friends prior to this discussion) that something was true which was not.

So I told him. "No, just like the Easter Bunny, Santa is a fun concept, but he is not real." His response was "Dad, that stinks!", and yet I think he was relieved, and also excited about being able to play the game with us until his little brother asks the same question in a few years.

No, Santa is not real ... at least not the chimney hopping, North-Pole living, sleigh driving Santa that he has envisioned. In truth, he has many different, but REAL Santas: parents, grandparents, family, and close friends, who love him deeply, shower him with gifts, and understand the blessing that comes with giving. Perhaps this new understanding will allow him to become a Santa as well.

Do you see it?

This weekend, I traveled to a missions conference near Oklahoma City. Things have been hectic at work, and the timing was a challenge, but the meeting was refreshing. While I was between sessions, I called home to talk with my family. My four year old started telling me all about some of the things he had been doing and then went into an elaborate description of a picture that he had drawn. After he finished telling me about it, he said "Do you see it, Daddy?" and held the picture up to the phone.

Needless to say, I couldn't see it, but I could easily picture him holding his picture up to the phone with excitement. Sometimes I scan the kids pictures and place them as the background on my computer desktop. No doubt, he thought this one was "desktop material". One day, he will understand that you can't see through the telephone (or maybe one day you WILL be able to see through one), but in the mean time, maybe, on second thought, I do see it ... and it looks GREAT!

Model of Consistency

As I read through the many Mother’s Day cards in a local store, I was reminded of the many attributes of Mothers: encouraging, supportive, empathetic, loving, selfless, hard-working, etc. Thinking about my own mom, the last two attributes are particularly descriptive, though at appropriate times, all of the others fit as well. One thing that seemed to be missing as I read through the cards was “consistency”.

In recent years, I have begun to treasure those people in my life who are consistent. The ones who you can be confident are the same regardless of their location, company, or situation. My mother is at the top of the list of those people I can count on to practice what they preach, to never have a hidden agenda, to be the same person in public and in private. Looking back over the years, this is something that she either intentionally or unintentionally modeled to me as the proper way to conduct yourself … not by her words, but by her actions.

As a parent, it is a little nerve-racking to realize that there are two little minds who see me in both public and private settings and they are able to measure my words against my actions. Mom had four of those little minds spread out over twenty five years. While things and people may change with time, I’m banking on the fact that what my sisters and I saw over a quarter century of growing up is not likely to change. Mom, thanks for being “consistent”, for being constant, for teaching and modeling for us what it means to be a Christian every moment of the day.