God, Disney World & Being A Middle Child

The daily devotion is a bit late today because my wife and I took our middle son Jackson to Disney World for a two day break—just the three of us.  We had a sixteen hour, marathon day at the Magic Kingdom yesterday, so I allowed myself a bit of grace this morning.  

This was all he wanted for his birthday.  Two days alone with his parents at Disney World.  
I am an only child so the complexities of dealing with siblings escapes me.  But I have to think that being the middle child between a college student and a kindergartner (We spread our kids out just a bit) is not without it’s challenges. But based on what Jackson is telling us, these past couple of days have been amazing for him. 

There has been no little brother to care for, and watch.  There have been no older brothers monopolizing the adult conversation.  It’s just been him and us.  And we’ve laughed together, played together, ate together and just enjoyed one another.  

These past couple of days have not just been great for Jackson, they have been great for Merideth and I.  We have loved reconnecting with him, getting to know him better, letting him be himself and just enjoying this time of rest and relaxation as a couple.  

I got to thinking about what this teaches us about our relationship with God.  When we start thinking about the immensity of God, and the vast number of people who worship God, pray to God, petition God, lament, cry, praise and glorify God… it can be overwhelming.  

And if we don’t tend our relationship with God, it can start to feel a bit impersonal.  We can begin to wonder, “Who am I, really?  Why would God care at all about little old me?”  Which is why we need to take the time to connect with the Almighty, to be open to see the Divine at work all around us.  

Psalm 139 gives us a sense of how God views us, and what he thinks about His relationship with us:  

1 You have searched me, Lord,    and you know me.2 You know when I sit and when I rise;    you perceive my thoughts from afar.3 You discern my going out and my lying down;    you are familiar with all my ways.4 Before a word is on my tongue    you, Lord, know it completely.5 You hem me in behind and before,    and you lay your hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,    too lofty for me to attain.

What I have come to understand, as well, is that God loves spending time with us, too.  God enjoys it when it’s just us and God, so to speak—when our attentions, our energies and our focus are on God, and what God is doing around us, in us and through us. 

May your eyes be open today to all of the ways that God is reaching out to you, letting you know how much God loves you.  May you find ways to connect with God, to spend time thinking about all the ways that you are known and loved.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.