Tom

I’ve had some ups and downs in my relationship with the Lord, at times I felt lost and to my shame even ran away from God.

While the Lord quietly chipped away at the hardness of my heart over decades, one of the biggest influences I’ve had in my life is when God said: “It’s your turn to be a father and learn a little about a father’s love for his children”.

I have a three-year-old and a six-year-old whom I love dearly. My three-year-old gets huffy when I tell him: “Stop and look before you cross the road”. He’ll say: “I know that Dad”, and I respond: “Then why did you step in the road without looking for cars?”

I’ve said the same thing to my son dozens of times, but I still catch him jumping into traffic without looking first. I ask him to listen and be obedient to this simple ask to protect him from danger. But he waves it off without understanding how imperilled he is.

When my eldest was four years old he said: “You’re not my boss. You don’t know everything”. I didn’t want to set myself up for a fall from a lofty pedestal, so I said: “You’re right, I don’t know everything”.

I can’t help but reflect on how I have said the same to God over the years: “I hear what you’re saying God, but I know what’s best for me”. That has nearly ended very badly for me on a number of occasions including in my work life and relationships.