Those phones remind me of my relationship with God Himself.
The other day I complete a fourteen fun-run with my mother and my children. We had not planned to take part in the event and we certainly did not think that we would be able to participate in the event. And then, at the very last minute, we decided that we would join in on the day and complete the fun-run.
Now, when I say “run” I am speaking figuratively. I really mean “walk” not “run”. At least that is what my mother and I did. We walked together for fourteen kilometres and my children ran ahead, jogging and walking and resting as they saw fit.
There were almost one hundred thousand people who participated in that fun-run, so it was critical that my children were in some way protected as part of that adventure.
One of the ways that they were protected was that we had many conversations about what to do in the event of an emergency or in the event that they became lost in the crowds. And the other way was that I made sure that each child had access to a mobile phone so that they would have a way of calling me along the way so that I could keep track of their progress.
Now, I have been thinking about those phones today as I have been thinking about that race. You see, those phones remind me of my relationship with God Himself.
You see, perhaps the most important thing in the world is for a child to understand that they are loved by their parent but that they are independent of their parent. I spend a great deal of my life empowering my children to be able to use the knowledge that I have shared with them in an independent way so that they can move forward in their lives and be confident of making the right decisions. In essence this is, I believe, what parenting is all about… Teaching children to have the skills to make decisions in a way that is the same (or better) than the decisions you yourself would make under the same circumstances.
So, my children using that phone on the day of the race was like prayer. It was like being able to speak to God freely in my heart. This connection with me as their parent made my children feel safe and because they felt safe, they were able to push themselves further than they would have been able to push under other circumstances. But there was more to it than that… You see, knowing that there were certain things that they could do under pressure or in the event of an emergency was like the Grace of the Sacraments. This was the basis upon which I was able to TRUST my children to manage crowds of that size and a situation that was intense and different for them. And in the same way, God sends Grace into our souls so that we can be trusted with all that He sees in the world around us.
And today, as I consider that Race, I give thanks to my God, who provides me with a phone and instructions, so that I can always be equipped to manage in the world that He has created for me… For it is in this way that I know that I am loved by my Heavenly Father and that He has allowed me the freedom to be independent and to make decisions that will match the decisions that He makes – after all, I was made in His Image…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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