Babies

so i had this thought about babies tonight…

every parent believes that their baby is the cutest baby around…the most beautiful eyes…the rosiest cheeks…the biggest smile…the sweetest little nose and the dimpled chin.

absolutely perfect.

there is no other baby…there has never ever even been another baby that is cuter, smarter, faster, prettier, more even-tempered baby than yours.

parents look into their baby’s face and they see beauty and intelligence and ability.  when compared to other babies…well, there is no comparison.  you can see it in a parent’s face… in their eyes as they show the pictures…or in their voice as they retell epic stories of climbing tall buildings or running 4.3 forties or reciting the gettysburg address…all before their first birthday.

are parents that wacko?  are they so obsessed with their own product that they only see what they want to see?  this seems like pure craziness.  but not so fast…

here’s the thing:  the way a dad looks at his baby son…as the cutest, best, most beautifully perfect baby ever born…above and beyond and to the exclusion of all others…is exactly the way that god looks at us.  god stares into our eyes and sees the beauty of his own creation…the most faultless, flawless, textbook, picture perfect example of his divine handiwork.

i know there are people that genuinely struggle with the idea of a personal creator-god who lovingly and patiently interacts with us, his creation.  but i am not one of those who struggle…

my faith is fortified every time i watch my own son look into the eyes of my grandson…he sees his own.  when his mother stares with absolute blind affection at the life that was formed inside of her…she sees her own.   and every other baby pales in comparison.

and my belief  in the god of wonders explodes with conviction.

babies.  such profound little bundles of theology.

and for the record, as near-perfect as i happen to believe my grandson is (a 4.3 forty might be stretching it a little…),  my boys were still the cutest ever.

once a dad…always a dad.

People Pleasing

i’m a recovering people pleaser.

i’m not exactly sure of how i got to be one, but i know i’ve been this way my whole life.  when i was 15 years old, i got my first job in the real world…i went to work on a construction site as a basic laborer.  my dad was the superintendent…the big boss man…and i was his son…the rookie…the kid who couldn’t get a job on his own…the kid who knew nothing.  it was the summer that i started to grow up.

but that’s another story for another time.

on my first day, i was driving around with the job foreman and a couple of carpenters when they pulled into a diner and announced, “coffee break”.   i had never been on a coffee break before.  cool.

the four of us bellied up to the counter and the waitress came to me first and asked what she could get for me.  i hesitated and then stammered out, “…uh…i’ll have a…cup of coffee.”

the guys all looked at me and one of them said with no small touch of sarcasm, “ooo, the boss’s son wants a cup of coffee!”  i remember i replied something like, “yeah, i like coffee”, or something equally adult stupid.

the three of them all ordered sodas and proceeded to watch me choke down my coffee…which i absolutely hated.  always did.  always will.  but i refused to let on.  i wanted so desperately to be “one of the guys”, there was no way i was going to let them know what i had done.

i spent years and years of my life wanting to be the guy that everybody liked.  i didn’t need to be the center of attention.  i didn’t need to be in charge.  i certainly didn’t need props or awards or recognition.  i just wanted to be liked.

i’ve learned a lot about being a people pleaser through the years.  i’ll share some of my lessons with you later.

for now, i’d like to know what you think about people pleasing.  are you a pleaser?  how do you know?  what are some of the things you do?  how has it been harmful?  are you changing?  is it getting better?

let’s put some thoughts out on the table!

Getting ready for Father’s Day

i read an article this morning about the plight of fatherlessness in our nation.  the number of single moms in our culture is staggering.  it is a problem that screams with a loud voice and has gathered the attention of lawmakers, civic leaders, school districts, and just about every other part of society.  i don’t mean to cheapen this problem, though, but i want to offer another observation.

as bad as this problem is, i wonder why we don’t have people standing up and screaming about the atrocities of dads who don’t show up to their kid’s games…and dads who work long hours to provide stuff that money can buy, but seem to avoid providing the things that money can’t buy…and dads who don’t date their kid’s moms anymore…and dads who expect the church to train their kids in matters of discipleship and spirituality…and dads who communicate more with the television than they do to their own kid’s hearts?

is father’s day a good day for you?