Would That Be Okay?
What if your kid never really does all that great in sports?
While all of his friends are making diving catches and hitting home runs, the
only action he sees is during practice. In right field. Where he likes to pick
flowers and see how long he can stare at the sun before blinking. Oh, and
that’s when he’s in the 11th grade. Would that be okay?
What if your kid never really gets it when it comes to reading?
Suppose, on her best day, she’s somewhere around the middle of the pack in her
class. And in the second grade, when all of her friends find out that they’re
reading on a fifth grade level she has the number 2.1 under the reading
comprehension column next to her name. Would that be okay?
What if your kid is never recognized for her exceptional good
looks? It’s not that she’s ugly. She’s just not prom queen material. Or even
prom date material. And so she misses out on the pictures, limo ride and good
times that come along with that rite of passage. Would that be okay?
What if your kid just isn’t wired for college? When God knit him
together, he was thinking more of trade school than the Ivy League. And so,
when all of his friends are getting acceptance letters in the spring and moving
away the next fall, he’s looking for a job that will work around his hours at
the trade school where he’s learning how to weld. Would that be okay?
There’s a trend among parents these days. Maybe it’s always been
the trend but I’m just noticing now that I’m a parent. We want our kids
speaking two different languages by the age of six, dribbling a basketball with
both hands by eight and talking to colleges in middle school. And here’s the
thing about parents. At least the ones in this country. When we want something,
especially something for our kids, we’re willing to pay for it. So we give some
guy $75 a week to teach our three-year-old the Spanish word for bathroom. And
we give another guy $100 a week to tie our four-year-old’s right hand behind
his back so that he can dribble with his left hand. But don’t worry, it’s for
their own good. They’ll thank us when they get that college scholarship.
No pressure, kid but here’s to hoping that God didn’t hardwire
you to be a welder.
And that’s what we forget in all of our parental hustling. God.
What might he want? And what if what he wants for our kids contradicts what we
want for our kids? Who wins then?
Maybe your kid will grow up to be a beautiful, well-read athlete
with her choice of colleges to attend. Maybe. But maybe not. What then? If she
never plays for a World Cup, will your daughter still be able to look back on
her little league soccer days with fond memories of friendship and building a
foundation for good physical health? Or will she think of her life as one big
failure because she never met your expectations? Will that be okay?
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his
appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For
the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
(ESV)
It’s good to know that our heavenly Father is not like some
earthly parents.
While some earthly parents tend to focus only on the physical,
our heavenly Father looks deeper.
While some earthly moms and dads get wrapped up in how their
kids look, our heavenly Father reminds us of what he finds to be beautiful.
Back to the original question. What if your kid grows up to be
average? Average as grits. No scholarship. No multi-million dollar signing
bonus. Will that be okay? Most of us are quick to answer yes. But that’s just
the verbal answer. The Sunday School answer. There’s a better way to find the
truth. Maybe the way that we spend our money and time is saying to our kids and
the God who made them, “No! It’s not okay. I demand the best.”
Whatever your answer may be, your kids are paying attention to
it.
And so is God.
What if all of your dreams for your children came true? The
scholarships. The popularity. The success. It was all theirs. And yours. But
you lacked one thing. Your First Love. What if you gained the whole world for
you and your kids only to lose your soul?
Would that be okay?
