My kids ruin everything. – The Culture Project

My kids ruin everything.

Not the way you were expecting to open a reflection on Father’s Day?

But it’s inevitable. Today I’ll go to cut the grass, and they will want to “help” me work. I am not excited about this prospect, and can only hope that if I want to get my work done quickly, they will be napping or want to play inside.

I can imagine it now: a few of my sons will want to mow alongside me and get sprayed with grass clippings, while the others will get frustrated that they can’t keep up and throw their toy mowers down in a fit. Often, corralling them is more work than getting the yard back in shape. I never thought that cutting the grass by myself would be an oasis of relaxation. It’s as if my kids see me putting on my yard work shoes and know immediately that it’s time to mess up Dad’s plans.

It’s easy to think, “if I keep my kids observing me from the window, I can be more productive, but am I being more or less of a Dad”?

Maybe messing up my plans and creating more “work” for me is exactly what my kids are supposed to do. Let’s think about why my kids want to work with me:

to be with Dad
to do as Dad does
to become more like Dad

Involving my sons isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it. Getting frustrated, proud, and having fun with them gives me and them an insight into their Heavenly Father. Would our journey of faith be easier if God just had us observe from the window? Would there be less chaos and mess ups if we didn’t “get out in the yard and try to cut the grass” with Him?

Sure! At first glance, it may be true that we would never mess up God’s plans, but we also wouldn’t be part of them. He in great love has always wanted us right alongside him; grass clippings and all. The Lord’s plan, like a good father’s, is to bring his children under his care – close in their joy and close in their mess.

See, the very reasons my kids hope to come outside with me are the very reasons we follow Christ. I draw near to God, our Father, because:

I want to be with Him
I want to do (love) as He does (loves)
I want to become more like Him

If I approach my work as production, a set outcome of how much and how quickly I can get something done, then I’ll never teach my kids anything about life much less about the love I have for them. We should all strive to model the generosity of life that God gives us. This is the gift of freedom to grow in virtue, to grow in relationship, and be a reflection of the Father’s love for His Son. Fathers do not use and produce for their own gain, they cultivate and bear fruit in others’ lives so that we might bring the love of Christ to all.It may take longer and there are always tantrums, but working with their Dad makes my boys men and makes me a little more like a father. So on this Father’s Day, I pray your kids ruin everything too.