Always a son

Sometime yesterday my 3 1/2 year old daughter needed comforting. I don't remember exactly why she did. But anyway, I held her on my lap. While holding her, I was reminded of the fact that no matter what age I am chronologically or in my walk with Jesus, I will still always be a child of the Father. No matter what ministry responsibilities I might be holding, I will still need the comfort and spiritual embrace of the Heavenly Father.

One thing that being a father has helped me better grasp is the normal desire of fathers to be generous to their children. I want my children to enjoy life and have good memories. So spending 20 euros for a booklet of 21 rides for the merry-go-round at the Buttes-Chaumont Park doesn't seem like a sacrifice at all. I want them to have necessary material things, but don't want to spoil them. Sometimes overgenerosity does more harm than good, despite the good intentions that a parent might have.

Several minutes ago I got a call from my parents. The gist of it was that they wanted to cover the cost of our car repair. They are not wealthy people and are living on a fixed budget. However, they wanted to help in this way.

Last year, a couple of similar age who considers me to be like a son also gave us a large check to cover a sudden repair bill that we had on our U.S. vehicle.

John wrote (1 John 3:1-2):

How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are!..Dear friends, now we are
children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we
know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said (Matthew 6:25-34):

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worring can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the liliies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?"or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.