Isn’t it interesting how much being a parent teaches us? How profoundly God uses children to chip away at our selfishness …
My 10-year-old son and I were on the golf course on Father’s Day this year. Rather than pleasantly enjoying each other’s company, we were disagreeing about the most effective technique for him to improve his game. He was confident in his method, and I was confident in mine.
After some discussion, he finally agreed to embrace my strategy for a few minutes until he was able to achieve the desired goal – making ten short putts in a row. It was not easy, but he persisted. After missing the 9th and 10th tries a few times, he finally did it. Along the way, he could see the immediate improvement before his eyes.
He looked up at me and said, “It seems like you know me better than me, even though I’m me!” It was one of those special breakthrough moments that you recognize immediately as an extremely rare event. I thought, “That is my Father’s Day present right there.” As you might imagine, the breakthrough was short-lived, but that didn’t take away from its magnitude.
After basking in my son’s realization, it dawned on me. Those are precisely the words our Heavenly Father is waiting to hear from me – from each of us. Why are we so slow to give up our own, ineffective approaches and submit to the divine plan of our Creator?
Perhaps this concept is most difficult when our lives are in turmoil – when circumstances like a parent’s life-threatening illness turn our lives upside down. At times like these, we think, just like my son, “How can His ways be best?”
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
He knows us better than us, even though we’re us!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Thank you for the reminder that even when we can’t see, or understand, the trace of His hand we can trust His heart. I really needed to read this today. My children lost their dad to cancer and just this past week my 17 yr old son, who is all about sports and being physical, tore up his knee in a football game. He will be requiring surgery as his ACL is torn in half along with other damage. He then will have a 4 to 6 month recovery. My first thoughts have been along the lines of “Why God, why this, why now, and hasn’t he suffered and lost enough?” However, you reminded me that God is good and does know what’s best for us. Please keep us, especially my son, in your prayers.
Awesome and glorious God, I thank you for the father who thought to share so that others might be blesssed, and in a world full of fatherless children, I thank you that he was there to share this rare moment with his son. I lift up the young man who lost his dad. Lord, let hime clearly see that there can be no better replacement than yourself. Strengthen his mom in her journey and new season in life. Your grace is sufficient. Father, we place his knee, his spirit and his future in Your hands for no one knows him better. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray, Amen
need scripture on children bei9ng our heritage
I thank god for leading me to this wonderful story . lately i,ve been going through a lot of trials with my family . but God will fix it. Yes he does have a devine plan for my life and im here to clsaim and recieve it in Jesus name .