The empty can…

There are few things more disappointing to me than when I go to take a drink from a pop can and as I raise it to my mouth and try to take a drink…I find that it is bone dry…empty.   It is so deflating when this happens.  Reaching for a cold drink of Pepsi and finding that you have already taken the last sip is disheartening.  Its a day destroyer for me.

In all seriousness, I know that is pretty silly to allow something like this to ruin your day.  But, how often do we allow little moments like this to dictate how go about our daily business.  I was thinking about this at lunch time when I was getting ready to leave and head back to work.  I was saying good bye to my son and he spilled his drink.  I was annoyed that I had to stop and take a minute to clean it up.  that annoyance went with me back to the office.  In all honesty, I let the 30 seconds it took to clean up the spill dictate how I felt about the next hour of my day.

I guess I just really want to challenge my self and others to think about  those little things we make into big things that change our attitude for the day.  Lets not cried over spilled milk or sweat the small stuff.  Instead, let us all rejoice in the many God given blessings that we have…perhaps I should be thankful I had a can of pop to begin with.

Mario Kart…

In a few minutes I will be playing Mar Kart with the kids.  I’m not really sure why I like Mario Kart, but I think it has to do with winning a race.  However, I think lately I have loved playing so much because I get to see it through my kids eyes.  My son loves to crash and jump off cliffs.  My daughter has no idea what she is doing, but she has fun doing it.  Watching and playing with them reminds me that even a game designed as a race to win, can be enjoyed in ways I never thought possible.

I think God is like that.  Even when we think we understand Him, He reveals something entirely knew for us to enjoy about Him.  I am thankful for a God who is never boring.

Control Issuess…

My daughter Moira has been very sick since late last week.  She has had a fever ranging from 101 -104 since that time and late Sunday night her fever spiked 105.7.  It was pretty scary because she was shaking as well as hallucinating.   She saw bugs, aliens, and even Hello Kitty. At the emergency room they cooled her off but they were unable to break the fever completely.  We finally thought progress had been made last night, but when she woke up this morning her fever spike back up to near 105 again.  My wife is with her at the hospital again while I wait to hear some news.

Through all of this I have been thinking a great deal about control.  As a parents, my wife and I go to great links to make sure that the kids are taken care.  We pray for them. We feed them and clothe them.  We make sure they learn and play.  We discipline when necessary.  We love our children and do whatever we can to make sure they are safe.  But…life seems to throw moments like these at us from time to time and we realize how little control we have.  For all of our good intentions, there are just some things that we have no control over.  We can keep her comfortable and make sure she has medicine…we can even hold her so she can fall, asleep and get the rest she needs, but for all the love we have for her, we can’t make her better.  Its frustrating to know that we have no control.  And I know as she gets older, we will have less control in her life.  That is a pretty sobering thought…and I think I would like to add scary to that as well.

I guess in the end, we must all realize whether we are parents or we are struggling with some other issue, there will be moments in life that are completely out of our hands.  As much as that sucks, I find comfort in the fact that my faith does not rest in my ability to fix anything, but it rests in the hands of the Creator who knows what is best.  In all honesty, that is a pretty difficult thing for me to buy into sometimes, but deep down I know that God is at work and that I can place my trust in Him no matter the circumstance.

Father and son time…

My son Colm and I have spent the better part of the week working our way through the original Star Wars trilogy.  To this point, we have made it through episodes 4 and 5 and if I can find the DVD will make it through Return of the Jedi by the end of the weekend.  I have to admit I am a proud father.  It does not get much cooler than getting to share in his excitement as he experiences these movies as I did when I was kid.  So far, my favorite observation of his…I guess maybe its more of question…is why did they freeze Han Solo in Chocolate.  Admittedly I laughed out loud, but I also began to think about how I could possibly explain the difference between carbonite and chocolate.  In his world, he has no experience with carbonite, but he knows exactly what chocolate is.  After a few failed explanations, I finally gave up and let him continue to think Han Solo is is being transported to Jabba the Hut in frozen chocolate because carbonite makes no sense to him until I can find a way to explain it to him in a way that he will understand.

As I continued to ponder this, I began to wonder if God has the same problem with us.  There is so much in life that we just can’t wrap our minds around and I think its because our frame of reference is so much smaller than God’s.  Its question of the infinite (God) verses the finite (us).  we do our best with what we have been given but the mystery is beyond us.  I know for a lot of people that is an unsettling proposition, but for me it is a comfort.  I don’t want to serve a God that i fully understand.  I want Him to know infinitely more than me and I want Him to be infinitely more wise than me.   I am content to live in the mystery.  That doesn’t mean i don’t get frustrated, but it does means that ultimately I trust that God knows better than me and that one day I will understand as I hope one day Colm will know the difference between chocolate and carbonite.  Until then…I gotta find Return of the Jedi.