“I hope your children treat you the same way you treat us, then you will understand,” is something many parents say to their kids. As a kid I thought to myself, “I hope so too.” I knew that I was the best example of what it is to be the perfect son. Unlike my parents I had a complete understanding of how the world worked and the appropriate behavior for said world. I was rarely wrong and when I was wrong the cause rested solely on the actions of my sister or my parents. When raising my kids I dreamed that they too would be perfect like me because I only did wrong when my parents and sister caused me to do wrong. I came the conclusion that I, as a perfect kid, would become a perfect parent and therefore could not cause my kids to do wrong. Also, I as a perfect parent, could not raise children in a way that could cause their siblings to do wrong.

Boy, was I wrong!                                                                                                

My kids are nothing like I was as a child. My kids make mistakes. My kids lack my perfection. My kids can be annoying, messy, loud, obstinate, lazy and… let’s just say they lack my complete understanding of how the world works and the appropriate behavior for said world. I don’t know where I went wrong. Maybe I didn’t go wrong. I am still the perfect kid that evolved into the perfect adult, husband and father. I must assume that it isn’t me but my wife that has caused them to deviate from my perfection.

Boy, I was wrong!

I never should have placed the blame on my wife for how our kids turned out. After further investigation I found out that she too, unlike her parents, had a complete understanding of how the world worked and the appropriate behavior for said world. She was rarely wrong and when she was wrong the cause rested solely on the actions of her brother or parents. Her parents also said to her, “I hope your children treat you the same way you treat me, then you will understand.” As a kid she thought to herself, “I hope so too.” So how did our kids end up making mistakes? How did they end up lacking our perfection? How did they end up being annoying, messy, loud, obstinate, lazy etc. from time to time?

Boy, am I wrong!

I cannot speak for my wife. After suggesting that it could be my wife that caused our kid’s issues, I cannot speakto my wife either because she’s not speaking to me. I must assume that she, like me, came to the same realization that our children are just like us. Our parents’ wish had come true. As much as we thought it would be great we now know that there are things, nurture or nature, that make our kids act just like us and truth be told, we weren’t nearly as perfect as we thought we were.

Boy, this could be very wrong!

I am not trying to assign something to God that He has not assigned to Himself. I do not pretend to have insight into God beyond my fallen interpretation of His word. Even with the perfection of the Spirit of God dwelling in me, I am not confident enough to say that the following is something God has thought or said but it is something we should consider that God could use to provoke thought and action in His followers: I hope your children treat you the same way you treat me, then you will understand. As a child of God do I think God is lucky to have someone like me? Do we think we are the best examples of what it is to be a perfect or at least a well behaved son or daughter?

Is the modern church teaching and living out a theology that suggests that God’s grace has been given because He needs us or wants us so badly? Do we suggest that He will answer every cry for help regardless of our willingness to embrace Him and His perfect ways? I know that earning God’s favor is impossible but is there something in the faith of those who profess to follow Jesus that suggest continuing in an evil path is okay; God still has to hear and act? Maybe we should ask ourselves how we would react if our children were just like those claiming to be God’s children in the modern church. How would we feel if our children treated us the same way we treat God?

Have you not just called to me: ‘My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?’ This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.” Jeremiah 3:4-5 (NIV)

Note: Using “Boy…” at the start of every heading seemed fitting as we have three sons.