There is also no mystery in their eyes when they look for safety and comfort when they miss a free throw to win the game, or strike out with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, tripping and losing the race or bringing home their first D on their report card.
Children look to their parents in all situations. For support, encouragement, love, kindness, direction or whatever the need may be. When you have a child, you consent to being this beacon for your child. Unfortunately many are not ready for that. Parents bring their own hurts and pains of missed eye contact to their own journey of becoming a parent.
When a child loses that moment to feel appreciated, that they did something good, that they succeeded then they do one of two things (actually many others these are two big ones). They stop looking or they continue to look to other places for that safety, comfort and the longing to feel loved and appreciated from somewhere else. Some will even seek to do good things and succeed because of their upbringing in church. They try to do good things because that's what God and Jesus wants. But what happens when their faith is questioned and they doubt? Because it happens. Then why do good? Why be kind? Why strive to do your best? Because if there is no father there to impress, what's the point?
I found myself there. Very recently. And then I finally for the first time in my life realized the love of the Father. I can't just can't sit here and pretend to describe something that typed words can't. But I'd be open to sharing and caring over coffee sometime.
And here I find myself. Trying to bring a peace to a very real problem that people have to deal with on a daily basis. And I'm doing it on an iphone.
But I can leave these words with you.
HOPE.
Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
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