The Least of These
I wanted to share part of a blog post that I read over here on this blog. You can read the entire post here. It is written by a father, and it struck a chord with me. How many times have I been up in the night, caring for one of my children, and my prayers were full of "Lord, please could you just magically make her fall asleep... please please PLEASE!!" so I could get back to my own rest.
Read on... the words speak for themselves.
I wanted to offer my perspective as a father and an alternative male voice in response to your call for others' practices of parenting. Many of the practices you have addressed resonate with me, but I confess I have trouble thinking of my own approach to parenting in these terms. Perhaps, I have not felt confident enough to step beyond our own family's context and make the leap from the particular to the universal or perhaps since I am no Oswald Chambers and too post-everything [Editor's Note: You, too? Me, too.] to admit the level of structure I truly employ, I use my own made-up terms.
What I do have is a strong conviction which informs how my wife and I relate to our kids, that when God commands us to love the “least of these” he is also talking about our own kids and families.
I have had a few moments when I felt like being a parent has intersected with my own search to hear the voice of God. One such moment occurred during the more than two-year period when our daughter did not ever - not even once - sleep through the night. As I sat crib-side in the middle of another frequently interrupted night, asking God to provide some measure of divine confirmation that any of this mattered, I felt him say, “Your daughter is one of my “least of these." This is how you serve Me. This is how you honor Me.”
I cried.
As a pastor's kid, I have witnessed examples of selfless servanthood that still humble me todayand examples of guilt or duty-motivated service that still anger me today. It is tempting - perhaps especially as a man - to see our own kids as The Obligation that needs to be addressed prior to leaving the home to go Save the World. How many board meetings and Alpha groups and service projects and Bible studies and prayer evenings can I add before my own kids at home might as well be those orphans for all the time they spend with me? What will I say if Jesus says, “I was hungry. I was naked. I was crying and cranky and not sleeping and whining in my crib at 3 am.”
Would I say: “But Lord, Lord...I didn't know it was you. I'm sorry I yelled at you – I was so worn out from all the ministry I was doing in YOUR name!” as if God will tolerate my evangelical passive-aggressive guilt trip?
No, it is God in the crib – it always was – and at the table throwing jam, and peeing on the new carpet and running in the parking lot not heeding any warnings.
It is God in our homes.
As we do unto the least of these, it is as unto Him.
Read on... the words speak for themselves.
I wanted to offer my perspective as a father and an alternative male voice in response to your call for others' practices of parenting. Many of the practices you have addressed resonate with me, but I confess I have trouble thinking of my own approach to parenting in these terms. Perhaps, I have not felt confident enough to step beyond our own family's context and make the leap from the particular to the universal or perhaps since I am no Oswald Chambers and too post-everything [Editor's Note: You, too? Me, too.] to admit the level of structure I truly employ, I use my own made-up terms.
What I do have is a strong conviction which informs how my wife and I relate to our kids, that when God commands us to love the “least of these” he is also talking about our own kids and families.
I have had a few moments when I felt like being a parent has intersected with my own search to hear the voice of God. One such moment occurred during the more than two-year period when our daughter did not ever - not even once - sleep through the night. As I sat crib-side in the middle of another frequently interrupted night, asking God to provide some measure of divine confirmation that any of this mattered, I felt him say, “Your daughter is one of my “least of these." This is how you serve Me. This is how you honor Me.”
I cried.
As a pastor's kid, I have witnessed examples of selfless servanthood that still humble me todayand examples of guilt or duty-motivated service that still anger me today. It is tempting - perhaps especially as a man - to see our own kids as The Obligation that needs to be addressed prior to leaving the home to go Save the World. How many board meetings and Alpha groups and service projects and Bible studies and prayer evenings can I add before my own kids at home might as well be those orphans for all the time they spend with me? What will I say if Jesus says, “I was hungry. I was naked. I was crying and cranky and not sleeping and whining in my crib at 3 am.”
Would I say: “But Lord, Lord...I didn't know it was you. I'm sorry I yelled at you – I was so worn out from all the ministry I was doing in YOUR name!” as if God will tolerate my evangelical passive-aggressive guilt trip?
No, it is God in the crib – it always was – and at the table throwing jam, and peeing on the new carpet and running in the parking lot not heeding any warnings.
It is God in our homes.
As we do unto the least of these, it is as unto Him.
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