As most weekends go, I found myself at the church park down the street from our house with my boys.
It was Saturday in the fall, which means prime time college football was on. As I sighed to myself and lamented missing the first half of another meaningless football game in the Big 12, the boys raced over to the infamous sandbox.
If you have kids, you know why the word infamous comes to mind. Sand does not simply get on their clothes, it gets everywhere! Sand seems to find itself in places you didn't know existed until after you visited the sandbox.
So of course my sons James and Will invited me into this sandy square and wanted me to play along with them. But that's not what I wanted to do; all I wanted to do was to look at my phone and not miss out on the football action that all the other dad's in the world seemed to be clued in on.
It was there, in a split millisecond, that the Lord put a deep conviction on my heart.
What could be so possibly special that it would have precedence over spending time with my sons?
Answer: Nothing
As I jumped into the sandbox to inevitably await my sandy fortune, I realized a few simple lessons worth sharing.
1) The thing my boys want most from me is my presence.
Being a Dad isn't a part-time role, it's a hands on full time duty and honor that we receive from the Lord.
Psalm 127:3-5 says, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
The convicting part for me is that James and Will don't me to just be present, they want all of me.
Let's me put it bluntly... I have a phone addiction. It's tied to me at all times. I find myself wanting to spend time looking at phone after work instead of cherishing the joy of having kids. What a blessing my sons are!
May we cherish every moment with them.
2) Embrace the messy
Yes, the sandbox did cover me in sand, forcing me to take multiple showers after entry.
But it was worth it.
Almost all parenting involves messy situations, both literally and figuratively. Dinnertime tends to prove itself as the worst offender. Food flying everywhere, water spilling for the 3rd time, you name it.
Part of that messiness is discipline. Discipline is hard...I hate watching my kids disobey. But with that, comes to opportunity to give them physical and verbal reminders to point them back to Jesus. And that is a beautiful thing.
What did Jesus do? He jumped headfirst into the sandbox of life. He engaged with the messy, sitting with those with messy lives and bad habits. He didn't mind, he seemed to thrive in these settings.
In Luke 5, we see Jesus engaging with tax collectors, joining them to eat and drink in Levi's house. But the Pharisees were concerned about his actions.
"And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
This is radical. Jesus embraces the messy because he believes that is his calling. He embraces sinners and folks who don't have it all together.
Similarly to parenting, our kids don't have it all together. But neither do we. Our Father embraces us where we are, and we should be doing the same thing with our kids.
What a glorious opportunity and mission we are on as parents. Praying we would make the most of every minute and love our kids the way Christ loves us!
Jump in the sandbox the next time you get the chance!
