Toys-R-Us

Earlier this week, while Amaya was visiting her grandparents, Josh and I took a stroll through Toys-R-Us. We love toy stores. Especially without our kids!

I believe that God uses the family as a beautiful representation of the mysteries of how He works. The union of a husband and wife gives insight into God's beautiful plan to redeem His bride, the Church. Parents loving their children glimpse the love of our Father for His children.

Our time in the toy store brought me several thoughts to reflect on. I've been thinking both about what these things mean for my family, and what it means about God. Here are some thoughts.

We LOVE buying gifts for our kids. I consider myself a normal person; kind and good-intentioned, but primarily selfish. But since having kids, I would spend every penny we have on stuff for them. Honestly, it's not even difficult for me to sacrifice for them, because buying for them feels like buying for me, and brings me more joy.

This might come as a surprise to some of you who know us, but we're RICH. I mean, we have literally HUNDREDS of dollars! :) It seems like a lot, I know. But you'd be surprised how much it costs to live these days. Even though we have a very modest income, it is difficult for us to NOT want to buy stuff for our kids. And we're not talking the essentials. We're talking, toys. Games. Junk they don't need. We become foolish for our kids. And we kinda like it.

I like to think that God is a little bit like that. Wait. I know God is like that. Infinitely more “like that” than I am. Consider this. God spent “every penny” on His children. He sacrificed His most valuable possession to buy our redemption. Did it bring Him joy to do so? Surely not in the moment. But now? I think so.

And doesn't God delight in the things our world finds “foolish”? So much of really knowing and living for God is a paradox. You find strength in weakness. The one who wants to lead will serve. The first will become last, and the last will be first. I think God “kinda likes” what we consider foolishness.

But here's the thing that really struck me at the toy store last weekend. Kids don't care about toys. They can't tell the difference between something that costs $1 and something that costs a hundred.  Need proof?  Here are my kids playing in a box.

What they care about is playing with their parents. Our kids would be happy playing with a box of rocks, if we were doing it with them, joyfully.

The saddest part of our trip was realizing that the reason parents spend all that money on buying stuff for their kids, often times, is so that they DON'T have to play with them. Too often parents buy things for their kids, hoping that if they have this or that, then I won't have to play with them. Just keep them busy.

Don't get me wrong. Parents need breaks. I NEED “quiet room time” everyday. But if I use my kids toys as an excuse not to engage with them, I rob them of the one thing they really want. ME.

And sadly, I wonder if we teach them something even more detrimental. Is it possible that they learn, early on, to replace the desire for connection with entertainment? We do that ALL THE TIME! It's a sad thing, that it takes discipline to turn off the TV and have a meaningful conversation with those I love. If we placate our children with gifts, is it possible that contributes to adults who are eager to receive gifts from God, but incapable of engaging with Him?

Just like children, isn't that still what we desire most? To hear and feel God intimately. It's great to receive blessings from the Lord. To be in good seasons of life. But I find myself craving the difficulties, because it's in THOSE times that I feel God most acutely. I don't need all the frills in life. What I need is to spend time with my Lord, knowing that He's engaged with me. And He loves me.

I pray everyday that my children get a little glimpse of how God feels about them through the time and effort I put into raising them. And I pray for strength to not ignore them, seeking only to gratify my needs. I make a ton of mistakes. But I love. And love covers a multitude of sins. Happy parenting!