When God Teaches You at Target...
So, there I was… once again.
A husband with my wife and kids… at Target.
How did I end up in this vortex again?!?
What trap did Lena use this time to get me to this red place of doom?
So, there we are in the women’s clothing section at Target. I’m completely surrounded by women’s clothing. My wife is “oohing” and “aahing” at every turn.
In a panic, a thought pops in my head: “Get out! Get out! Head in any direction!”
With the kids in the shopping cart, I randomly make a dash away and I find myself heading straight to... the toy section.
*sigh*
Usually this is a bad idea because you have to deal with these non-stop, “Daddy, can I have these?”
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
But something happened.
As we were on our way, an idea pops into my head.
Yes! A teaching moment for my kids.
So, I slowly begin to take the kids through the several toy aisles at Target. The kids are mesmerized. Everywhere their little brown eyes look, they see their favorite characters packaged with bright colors. (Thank you marketing gurus, every parent appreciates your hard work)
After the fourth toy aisle, the time for my experiment has come. I look at my kids. It's time to see my hard work as a parent pay off. It's time to see all the sacrificial love and hours spent fostering a healthy relationship between my children and their father. It's go-time!
I clear my voice and say, “Hey Belle and Zay, who do you love more: Daddy or all these toys you see?”
There was no response. Because they didn’t hear me. I snap my fingers a few times to get their attention.
*Snap *Snap *Snap
“Hey! Belle… Zay… Listen to me…”
Their heads slowly begin to turn towards me, but their eyes are still glued to their toys.
I say it once more, “Hey guys, who do you love more: Daddy or all these toys?”
And without hesitation. Both of them. In complete and harmonious unison. Declare with excitement…
“TOYS!”
Shocked, but not completely surprised… I assume they didn’t fully understand the question since they were three and four years old. I decide to ask the question from a different angle. Their eyes have once again gone to the toys.
*Snap *Snap *Snap
“Belle… Zay… Okay, listen… Would you rather have all these toys that you see and no Daddy… Or… You get to keep Daddy, but have none of these toys…?”
Three seconds pass. My heart waits. And then both of them, still looking at these toys, say at the same time once again...
"Toys!”
I’m not going to lie… My heart dropped in that moment. I was genuinely shocked and deeply saddened by this. And even though I know they were three and four years old there was this moment within that moment.
… between God and myself.
A thought passes through my heart…
“Mitchell, I want you to want Me more than the ‘toys’…”
Tears began to form in my eyes and I kiss my kids on the top of their heads. They probably didn’t even notice the kiss because their eyes had widened again as they turned to see glorious toys surrounding them.
They had no idea how crushed I was in that moment. They just went back to looking at Paw Patrol and Barbie dolls.
These toys were no longer just toys to me . They were my competition in this moment. These toys were distractors. These toys were taking the rightfully place that belonged to me.
These toys can’t do what I can do for my kids.
These toys don’t care about my kids.
These toys won’t bring lasting satisfaction and joy to my kids like I can…
As my mind processed all these things, another thought passes through:
"Mitchell, all the “toys” in your life can’t do for you what I can... The “toys” in your life don’t care about you… they won’t bring lasting satisfaction and joy like I can."
The teaching moment I had planned for my children was now a teaching moment that my Father had for His-quesadilla-loving-child.
Friends, do we realize that the God who spoke the Universe into existence… The God who breathed out the stars… The God who intricately and intimately created all we see, including us… This God who has no beginning and no end.
This God, who if we saw His glory, in all His fullness, we would seize to exist (Exodus 33:20).
This truly awe-causing, entirely-overwhelming, and infinitely-powerful God… This God…
Wants.
You.
(Wants me too)
He desires personal relationship with us. He desires restoration with us. He desires to forgive us. He desires intimacy with us.
He doesn’t want our money. He doesn’t want robotic-worship. He doesn’t want us to "stroke his ego".
He wants us.
And nowhere else, do we more clearly, see this truth than at the Cross!
Jesus suffered on the Cross, why? Because God wants us.
JOHN 3:16 –
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
ROMANS 5:8 –
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ”
1 JOHN 3:16 –
“ By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us...”
At the Cross, they stretched out Jesus' hands, nailing them to a Cross.
Little did they know that outstretched hands would be the perfect description of the heart of Jesus towards us.
He wants us.
Let's put "toys" in their rightful place.
And let's want to spend time with the God who wants us.
A husband with my wife and kids… at Target.
How did I end up in this vortex again?!?
What trap did Lena use this time to get me to this red place of doom?
So, there we are in the women’s clothing section at Target. I’m completely surrounded by women’s clothing. My wife is “oohing” and “aahing” at every turn.
In a panic, a thought pops in my head: “Get out! Get out! Head in any direction!”
With the kids in the shopping cart, I randomly make a dash away and I find myself heading straight to... the toy section.
*sigh*
Usually this is a bad idea because you have to deal with these non-stop, “Daddy, can I have these?”
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
But something happened.
As we were on our way, an idea pops into my head.
Yes! A teaching moment for my kids.
So, I slowly begin to take the kids through the several toy aisles at Target. The kids are mesmerized. Everywhere their little brown eyes look, they see their favorite characters packaged with bright colors. (Thank you marketing gurus, every parent appreciates your hard work)
After the fourth toy aisle, the time for my experiment has come. I look at my kids. It's time to see my hard work as a parent pay off. It's time to see all the sacrificial love and hours spent fostering a healthy relationship between my children and their father. It's go-time!
I clear my voice and say, “Hey Belle and Zay, who do you love more: Daddy or all these toys you see?”
There was no response. Because they didn’t hear me. I snap my fingers a few times to get their attention.
*Snap *Snap *Snap
“Hey! Belle… Zay… Listen to me…”
Their heads slowly begin to turn towards me, but their eyes are still glued to their toys.
I say it once more, “Hey guys, who do you love more: Daddy or all these toys?”
And without hesitation. Both of them. In complete and harmonious unison. Declare with excitement…
“TOYS!”
Shocked, but not completely surprised… I assume they didn’t fully understand the question since they were three and four years old. I decide to ask the question from a different angle. Their eyes have once again gone to the toys.
*Snap *Snap *Snap
“Belle… Zay… Okay, listen… Would you rather have all these toys that you see and no Daddy… Or… You get to keep Daddy, but have none of these toys…?”
Three seconds pass. My heart waits. And then both of them, still looking at these toys, say at the same time once again...
"Toys!”
I’m not going to lie… My heart dropped in that moment. I was genuinely shocked and deeply saddened by this. And even though I know they were three and four years old there was this moment within that moment.
… between God and myself.
A thought passes through my heart…
“Mitchell, I want you to want Me more than the ‘toys’…”
Tears began to form in my eyes and I kiss my kids on the top of their heads. They probably didn’t even notice the kiss because their eyes had widened again as they turned to see glorious toys surrounding them.
They had no idea how crushed I was in that moment. They just went back to looking at Paw Patrol and Barbie dolls.
These toys were no longer just toys to me . They were my competition in this moment. These toys were distractors. These toys were taking the rightfully place that belonged to me.
These toys can’t do what I can do for my kids.
These toys don’t care about my kids.
These toys won’t bring lasting satisfaction and joy to my kids like I can…
As my mind processed all these things, another thought passes through:
"Mitchell, all the “toys” in your life can’t do for you what I can... The “toys” in your life don’t care about you… they won’t bring lasting satisfaction and joy like I can."
The teaching moment I had planned for my children was now a teaching moment that my Father had for His-quesadilla-loving-child.
Friends, do we realize that the God who spoke the Universe into existence… The God who breathed out the stars… The God who intricately and intimately created all we see, including us… This God who has no beginning and no end.
This God, who if we saw His glory, in all His fullness, we would seize to exist (Exodus 33:20).
This truly awe-causing, entirely-overwhelming, and infinitely-powerful God… This God…
Wants.
You.
(Wants me too)
He desires personal relationship with us. He desires restoration with us. He desires to forgive us. He desires intimacy with us.
He doesn’t want our money. He doesn’t want robotic-worship. He doesn’t want us to "stroke his ego".
He wants us.
And nowhere else, do we more clearly, see this truth than at the Cross!
Jesus suffered on the Cross, why? Because God wants us.
JOHN 3:16 –
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
ROMANS 5:8 –
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ”
1 JOHN 3:16 –
“ By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us...”
At the Cross, they stretched out Jesus' hands, nailing them to a Cross.
Little did they know that outstretched hands would be the perfect description of the heart of Jesus towards us.
He wants us.
Let's put "toys" in their rightful place.
And let's want to spend time with the God who wants us.
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