Not long ago, our younger son, Tim, and I were talking about being a dad, a relatively new role for him. “I used to get so mad at you kids when you were little,” I said to him. “Yelling so loud I was afraid the neighbors heard.”
“You never yelled at us,” Tim said.
“What?” I paused and looked at him. And then knew that God’s grace had stepped in, allowing him to forget what I remembered painfully. Once again, we were walking in grace.
Walking in Grace. It’s the new title for an annual book of devotionals that I’ve been contributing to even before Tim and his older brother Will were born. A new title? Perhaps. But the concept is as familiar as God’s daily walk with us. Here’s a sneak preview of this upcoming book:
As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. —Psalm 103:13 (NRSV)
I needed something to wear to the gym and grabbed a colorful old T-shirt from the bottom of a drawer. “Super Dad,” it said in cartoon script, and “Man of the Hour,” along with a list of all the qualities a Super Dad should have: “Faster than a speeding lawn mower, more powerful than the lid of a pickle jar, able to diet without losing a single pound…it’s a repair man…it’s a cash machine…it’s Super Dad.” A long-ago present from my boys. Must have been for my birthday or Father’s Day.
“Looks just like you,” some friend said, checking out the shirt. I’d already forgotten I had it on. I looked in the mirror while lifting some weights—not hugely heavy ones, mind you. I’m not that super. I could see the big “D” in reverse. How did I measure up as a dad?
I’ve never driven a lawn mower. I’m lousy at repair jobs. I couldn’t open most tightly wound pickle lids without help from a jar opener, and heck, I’ve never been one to attempt any sort of diet. But as far as cash machine goes, well, I would take my own father as example. Even when we were grown—especially as we were launching out in our careers—he’d dip his hand into his pocket and pull out a couple of twenties and say, “You should take these. I’m sure you have a need for it.” We did.
The thing is when any of us look in the mirror, or at a selfie for that matter, we don’t really see ourselves. That picture can best be found in the eyes of those we love. We are as super as they think. Clearly, I’d kept that funny old T-shirt for a reason.
May those I love see me with love as we mirror God’s love.
