Yesterday my boys were playing Legos and doing what boys do - making sound effects, having an interstellar space ship race throughout the house, etc. At one point they stopped because they discovered something "cool" about how one of the spaceships can shoot the Lego bullets. I was washing the dishes after dinner and I was in the zone as I often am when trying to get stuff done. My boys were yelling, "Daddy watch! Daddy watch!" over and over again.
Now, when I am
"in the zone" it's often difficult for me to snap out of it. I was so
focused on finishing - cleaning that last dish - that I didn't even
notice my boys were desperately trying to show me something - something
they seemed to be very proud of.
When I finally snapped out of it they proceeded to show me how their Lego spaceship can shoot bullets from a hidden location on the bottom. I pretended to be impressed but that wasn't good enough - they really wanted me to understand how incredibly cool this was. They wanted me to see how it worked, what button to press, the distance it shot - everything. As they showed me they would stare at my face until they could tell I was sufficiently impressed - until they were satisfied that I understood how amazingly cool this was. After displaying an appropriate amount of shock and awe, they ran off and continued playing.
I have been thinking about this a lot since then.
This wasn't really about Legos, this was about our relationship. A shared experience. See, I had helped them put that spaceship together. When they got stuck I would provide them with direction, find the right pieces, etc. All of us had been together as it was built. They wanted - they needed - to share their joy with me, the one who had helped them put it all together.
I think our Father also likes to share in those experiences with us. I think He likes to share in the excitement with us. He loves to see us discover new things about how He put it all together.
May we always include Him, not only in our discoveries but also when we're stuck - when we need help finding that next piece. May we seek Him like my boys did - loud and persistent. May we stare at His face until we know we have His full attention. May we always call out for Him and say, "Daddy, watch!"
When I finally snapped out of it they proceeded to show me how their Lego spaceship can shoot bullets from a hidden location on the bottom. I pretended to be impressed but that wasn't good enough - they really wanted me to understand how incredibly cool this was. They wanted me to see how it worked, what button to press, the distance it shot - everything. As they showed me they would stare at my face until they could tell I was sufficiently impressed - until they were satisfied that I understood how amazingly cool this was. After displaying an appropriate amount of shock and awe, they ran off and continued playing.
I have been thinking about this a lot since then.
This wasn't really about Legos, this was about our relationship. A shared experience. See, I had helped them put that spaceship together. When they got stuck I would provide them with direction, find the right pieces, etc. All of us had been together as it was built. They wanted - they needed - to share their joy with me, the one who had helped them put it all together.
I think our Father also likes to share in those experiences with us. I think He likes to share in the excitement with us. He loves to see us discover new things about how He put it all together.
May we always include Him, not only in our discoveries but also when we're stuck - when we need help finding that next piece. May we seek Him like my boys did - loud and persistent. May we stare at His face until we know we have His full attention. May we always call out for Him and say, "Daddy, watch!"
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