Let's Joust, Daddy!
Today’s Truth
“In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” (Psalm 5:3-4 NIV)
Friend to Friend
In 1986, my husband and I built a house which would be our home for the next twenty years. While the builders were hammering away, I was sewing away, trying to have all the curtains made before we moved in.
The fabric for the curtains came on five foot long cardboard tubes. For one year, those tubes were my two-year-old son's favorite toys. They served as tunnels for Matchbox cars and giant megaphones from which all sorts of important announcements were made. But his favorite thing to do with the tubes was "joust" (sword fight). Every day when Steve, my husband, came home from work, he was greeted by Steven shouting, "Let's joust, Daddy!" My husband jousted tirelessly for months.
Nine years later, in a conversation remembering the jousting days, Steven confessed, "You know, I used to have terrible nightmares about those huge cardboard tubes. I used to dream that giant "jousting rods" were chasing me all around the house trying to get me."
Baffled, I asked him, "Why didn't you tell us about the dreams? And why did you want to continue playing with the tubes if they gave you bad dreams?"
"I guess it was because I loved Dad so much and playing the game with him, that it was worth having the scary dreams,” he answered.
Little did Steven know what a profound statement he had made. My thoughts immediately went to my heavenly Father, my love for Him, and what I was willing to endure to spend time with Him. See, I too have a jousting rod. It is called the "sword of the spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians
In this busy world in which we live, taking time out to be with our Heavenly Father can be somewhat of a struggle. But the rewards are so great. So every morning, I grab my jousting rod, God's Word, and together we conquer foes and win battles side-by-side.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, Help me to put all my busyness aside to spend time with You each day. I pray that my love for you will supersede any other activity that I have planned on any given day. Thank you for desiring to spend time with me.
In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What have you given up lately to develop your relationship with God?
Is your relationship with God something you feel that you “have” to do, or do you feel like little Steven with his relationship with his dad and “want” to do?
What are you willing to put aside to develop your relationship with God?
More from the Girlfriends
Don’t you love reading stories of God’s fingerprints on the pages of everyday life!
Originally published Wednesday, 20 June 2007.
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