God is Watching Over Us
What a chilling thought. When we were kids, the last thing we
wanted was a parent on our backs. And we would have just died
knowing that our parents had seen us ___________. Fill in the
blank with whatever makes you blush. I myself could fit an awful
lot into that little space.
There was the time I had convinced my little brother that Mom
had been underfed at the hospital and was now only two feet
tall. Or the time I put Mom's bra on the neighbor's snowman. And
then there's the stuff I wouldn't dare put on paper.
But that's when I was young...and innocent. The more I think
about the idea of someone watching now, the more I feel like
hiding beneath a rock. A parent who's always watching can seem
like a curse more than anything else. Then I think about my own
children.
I find this contrast between how I see my own kids (and their
little escapades) and how I thought my parents looked at me.
There's so much that I punish them for, and then spend the rest
of the night giggling about. All the mischief that stems from a
mixture of boredom, ignorance, and tomfoolery.
But again, those are the more or less innocent things. I see
much more than they realize, and I'm sure my parents did too.
And I guess my parents saw it the same way I see it. While I
might feel disappointment sometimes, I never feel that deep
shame that I was sure my own parent felt. It's more along the
lines of pity.
I want my kids to be good, because I know it's good for them.
When I see them take a wrong turn, I worry for their wellbeing.
And when they take the same wrong turn over and over again, my
only thought is to help guide them...to give them directions
down the right path.
Sometimes they ignore my counsel (and my punishment). They
decide that their way is better, and they end up paying for it.
But even then, I look with sympathy and try to help them fix the
problem. I'm never glad when they cause their own ruin, and I
certainly don't look forward to it. So why would God be any
different?
As we deal with guilt in life, it's intimidating to know that
God sees all...but there's comfort in the fact that He's our
Father.