Friday, April 3, 2015

Easter Among Other Days


Parenting is hard.

As the father of six small children, I believe I can speak with confidence on behalf of my wife and myself in saying so. Our children are God's most precious blessings in our lives and a source of joy for us. They are also difficult at times. At times, they are obstinate. At times, they are rebellious. At times, they are disobedient. At times, they are just plain rotten. We call those times- weekdays.

During those tough moments, I confess that I sometimes fall into a pit of poor perspective. When one of my children rebels, I am offended. How could they act like this? Don't they realize how much money I've spent to allow them to play in this soccer league? Don't they realize that I would rather be sipping a frozen margarita at Chuy's with my lovely wife than sweating to death at this weekend tournament? I am offended because in some way I feel that I deserve their obedience and gratitude.

Just for any non-parents reading this, that isn't how it works. Ever.

Sadly, my tendency towards that logic also perverts my view of God. I am tempted to look at all of the nice things I have done and think that somehow earns my favor with God. Look at how nice I've been to my neighbors. Look at how kind I was to that lady at the grocery store who needed help to her car. Look at the way I held my tongue with my kids and chose affirming words when I had some other choice phrases that I really would've rather used to address the situation. Look at all these things I've done, God. Don't you love me now? Won't you accept me now?

This weekend we celebrate Easter. We celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of God himself- Jesus Christ. We celebrate the greatest tragedy in human history because it was also the greatest sacrifice in human history. It was a sacrifice that reversed the dynamic of our relationship to God forever.

On the cross, Jesus demonstrated his love for us. On the cross, he said to us once and for all, "Look at what I've done for you. Accept me. Love me."

A lot of people still try to reverse that relationship. A lot of people still start with the do's and don'ts of Christianity and try to abide by them like some checklist on an application. But in so doing, they miss the beauty of the cross. We are more loved and accepted than we could ever imagine by a God who sacrificed himself to make that relationship possible. Our response to that love should rightfully be obedience and gratitude. But regardless of how well we do in the latter category, God's love for us is not contingent upon a checklist. God loves us. On Easter, we celebrate his permanent declaration of that love.

I want my kids to be obedient. I want them to be respectful and polite. I want them to be a number of things. But just as God's love for me is not hanging in the balance of my own rebellious nature, my love for my own children is not conditional.

One of the reasons God made me a parent was to teach me that lesson, to help me remember that his love for me is permanent. The tremendous love I have for my children and sacrifices I have made for them pale in comparison to the way God loves me and what he was willing to do on my behalf. Easter shows me the most beautiful picture of love between a father and his child.

On Easter, God the Father says to all of us," Look at what I've done for you. Accept me. Love me."

Happy Easter.