Friday of the Second Week of Lent - March 5, 2021

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Hebrews 13:1-18 Mark 6:14-29

When I first became a parent I was struck early on at the insight it gave me into God the Father.  Watching my kids learn to walk, and picking them up when they would fall and trip. Watching them explore their surroundings and test their physical capabilities. Watching them climb on furniture, jump off steps, and ride a bike. Watching them take risks and fail, learn, and try again. Coaching, teaching, and rooting for them throughout. All the while struck by the thought that this was all a microcosm of what God the Father goes through with each of us at every stage of our lives.

As they got older and able to voice their needs, wants, and opinions, my reflections again went to God the Father. How easy it would be to just give them what they are seeking. How much more peaceful it would be to clean up their mess rather than convincing them to do it, wait for them to do it wrong, and then fix it. How faster it would be to drive them to their friend’s house instead of walking them there over and over until they learn the way. But the easy, peaceful, and fast way would miss the opportunity for them to grow.

“Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.” This was the advice I was given soon after I became a parent. Today’s readings present two examples of fathers sending their sons into dangerous situations, trusting that they have prepared them for the road. And isn’t that what God does for us every day? He teaches us, withholds from us, challenges us, and then rejoices with us. We are constantly (and often simultaneously) at different spots in this cycle with God. And while we beg God to prepare the road for us, we carry forward knowing that he has been preparing us for this road.

Q: What desire has God placed on your heart that he is preparing you for? 

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