He sat there staring at his pink plate (the joys of coming after a girl in birth order and having a mom who was behind on the dishes). On it sat one noodle and one little piece of a sweet potato. But he just wouldn’t do it. I had never met someone who could stubbornly resist the tiniest of portions with more willpower.
“Come on!” I begged, “If you eat it you can get a snack later.” It had been two days of no snacks for him as he kept refusing his dinner, turning up his nose at everything I set before him. I was more invested in this child eating than any of my others because of his size. For some reason he never seems to need food to survive.
“I feel like he’s just going to shrink away to nothing” I lamented to my husband. Then I went back to trying to convince my third born that he wanted that noodle more than he had ever wanted anything in his life by trying to turn it into a game. “Let’s see how many bites it’ll take for that noodle to disappear” I challenged. Don’t little boys love a challenge, after all?
You see, I am a champion for my kids. I want them to succeed. In every area. If not eating that noodle means they won’t get snack later (and I know how much they are gonna want a snack when it comes time), then I am there cheering them on to succeed. Even at the tiniest of things like eating the one last bite on their dinner plate.
As a parent I am often telling my children what the punishment is going to be if they disobey but then secretly saying in my mind “Please choose the right thing” or “Don’t do it! Don’t make that decision!” It hurts me to see them hurting. It makes me sad to have to follow through on discipline. It’s not fun to watch them do the wrong thing.
Perhaps because God is not here physically with us, it’s easy for me to imagine God standing far off not watching over my life tenderly and lovingly. Not cheering me on. But watching for my mess ups. Keeping track of my wrongs. Or simply being indifferent and not taking notice of me at all. But that isn’t the Gospel. Sure, God lovingly disciplines those He loves. But, He is not rooting for my failure. He is not forgetting about my existence. He is keeping track of every last hair on my head (Luke 12:7).
We see this multiple times in Scripture (honestly it’s a theme throughout all of the Bible):
Romans 8:31b says “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Psalm 118:7 says, “The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”
Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.”
(Also see Luke 15:11-32)
So, today are you feeling like God stands far off from you or isn’t taking notice of your existence/circumstances? Like He isn’t a personal loving God? Or even that He is rooting against you?
As much of a cheerleader as I am for my kids, God is a bigger one for me and you. He is cheering us on to do what’s right. To make the right choices. To succeed. Especially in the matters of His kingdom. He is a champion for His people. He loves us. He watches over us from afar (just check out Psalm 139). He takes notice in the details of our lives.
Remind your heart of these truths, friends, and be comforted in this today. We are His children. He loves us as His own!
