My son Aaron was two years old. Two is a fun age. A kid starts to really be able to communicate. Their curiosity and personality start to show up in spades, and one of my favorite parts about that age is that their sense of wonder is astronomical. The smallest and simplest things are deeply amazing to a two-year-old.
When Aaron was two, one of the constant sources of wonder for him was flashing lights. It could be a fire truck, a police car, an ambulance, a tow truck, it really didn’t matter. He just loved to watch those flashing lights. If he saw a fire truck or some other vehicle with its lights going, his whole world would stop while he basked in the mesmerizing beauty of those blue, or red, or yellow lights.
On one particular evening, we had dinner at a favorite restaurant of ours. We were all excited to enjoy our dinner together, but that night, life was especially good for my son. See, as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, we saw a police cruiser, lights flashing, right outside the front windows. I’m not sure what was going on or why it stuck around, but it stayed there for quite a while, lights going. We sat in the window and my son stared at those lights the whole time we ate. I enjoyed my burrito, but even more than that, I enjoyed watching the wonderstruck face of my son. He barely took his eyes off those lights for even a second. He thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, though I noticed he ate less of his quesadilla than usual.
Even after we finished our food, we hung around a few extra minutes for my son’s sake, but we had some errands to run, so we gathered our things together, threw out our trash and walked out the door. All was well, until Aaron realized that we were not walking towards those magical blue lights. Instead, we were walking back to our car. Upon realizing that shocking fact, my son’s world came crashing down. His eyes welled with tears, and those tears continued to stream down his face as we buckled him in his carseat and as we pulled out of the parking lot. As we drove to the store, he sobbed in the back seat. And Aaron’s cry that night was not an angry or rebellious cry. It was the cry of a broken heart.
As he wept, I found tears welling up in my own eyes, not only because I was saddened that he was so profoundly sad, but because in that moment, my son reminded me of myself.
I am staggered by how gracious God has been to me. There are times when, in my heart I ask, “Why me? What have I done to deserve such blessing?” Of course, I know it’s not because of anything I have done to merit God’s goodness. He gives so richly because that’s just who God is!
In Matthew 7, Jesus expresses God’s generosity in a way that almost seems to challenge us to try its limits. He says,
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7-11)
I am often inconsistent and selfish as a father, but I love to give gifts to my kids. I find great delight in showing them generosity, but my Heavenly Father finds even greater delight in giving to me.
But there are times when we find it hard to affirm the generosity of God. Some Christians have experienced great blessing, only to have it suddenly and unexpectedly taken away. Others have asked over and over for God to meet a certain need or to answer a specific prayer. And they wait and wait and wait for God’s provision to come. In those times, the question arises: Is God really a good Father who loves to give to His children? How can we think that when He seems to be withholding more than He gives?
What are we to think when our Father takes our hand and leads us away from the flashing lights? How could a God who loves us do such a heartless thing?
In Matthew 6, Jesus talked about treasures. He told his gathering of followers,
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
I have several places where I have things stored that I have hung onto from when I was younger. As I recently dug through some of those old “treasures”, I found some fun old pictures and other memories that made me smile, but I also found lots of really bad attempts at art. I found a ribbon I received when I was six for winning third place in a homeschool science fair. I also found a bunch of old handmade birthday cards, including one where my sister had forgotten how old I was turning and had to correct my age on the front with red pen.
Some things are worth holding onto, even if just for the laughs, but isn’t it funny how some things that we treasure can seem so insignificant later on, like that rock collection, or stamp collection, or state quarter collection I had when I was a kid?
God cares about what we treasure. It matters to Him that we prioritize what is truly valuable instead of just holding on tight to a bunch of junk.
That night when my son was two, he was heartbroken as we left the restaurant because, at that moment, he could not imagine anything ever again bringing him as much joy as those flashing blue lights. The object of his affection and attention was being torn away from him forever. His perspective was so “now”-centered that he was almost incapable of considering anything in the future. In his little toddler brain, all potential for joy had been swept away. It’s hard not to laugh at such an unrealistic outlook. Kids…
But how does God look at me when my world comes crashing down because I have such an earth-bound heart? I have had my times when I have felt heartbroken when God took some earthly thing away from me that I was holding onto a little too tightly. Scripture tells us to set our affections, not on the things of earth, but on things above. How good are we at doing that? We often don’t understand why God decides to give and take as He does. But remember, He is the one with an accurate perspective and proper priorities. My adult perspective is much more realistic than my son’s childish point of view, but God’s divine perspective is far far more realistic than my earthly outlook. He might take away the flashing lights, but not out of spite or disregard. He just sees it all much more clearly than we do and realizes that the things of earth are far less valuable than we think they are.
In the book of Habakkuk, God made it clear to the prophet that the nation of Judah was going to face judgment for her sin. Habakkuk freely admits his fear at the prospect of what his home country will face when God’s wrath falls, but he closes out the book of Habakkuk, not with a lament over what would be lost, but with a declaration of trust. Habakkuk says,
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)
Habakkuk was not unattached to these earthly things. He ate food just like the next guy. It was not insignificant to him that trees and vines and fields and folds and stalls would stand empty. Still, in the face of the loss of things that feel so necessary, he was able to say that he found joy and strength and victory in the Lord.
Habakkuk liked the bright flashing lights just like the rest of us, but he had learned that when his Father chose to take them away, it was for the best.
God gives good gifts as a gracious Father and we need to learn to trust the way He gives… and the way He takes away. His way is always best.
Exempla 