Life Lessons from a Simple Q&A

Sometimes all it takes is a simple question by an innocent child to remind me how blessed my life is.

That’s where I found myself this past Sunday.  We were walking quickly through the parking lot as we tried to get into the church building (being in a hurry on Sunday morning is just part of having 3 kids).  In my son’s normal  quirky style, he randomly blurted out, “It’s a good thing they don’t charge to get in here.”

I was completely caught off guard.  Thankfully, my wife was not.  Without hesitation, she quickly added “Jesus already paid it.”

Over the few days since, that short exchange has stuck in my mind.  Here are a few things it taught me.

1. I have some amazing kids.  I sometimes take for granted how good our kids are.  They have their moments that simply make me want to pull my hair out.  But they love God.  They want the best for people.  They love to help.  They make me laugh.  They see the good in situations where I don’t.  They want to be around their church family.  They don’t complain (much) when we have to rush to worship because mommy and daddy are running behind.  They soak up knowledge, especially the Bible.  They understand the fundamentals they need for a Christian life, and they are already beginning to build from that foundation.
2. I have an amazing wife.  While I was dumbfounded by my son’s quirkiness, my wife was on her toes.  She gave the perfect response.  It was the kind of response that made an impression on me, and I pray it’s one of those exchanges that my son will remember as he matures spiritually.  I have a great respect for women who work outside the home and are still able to manage the household.  However, if you have a godly wife that has the ability to stay home and raise your children, there’s nothing that can compare.  Her worth to our family is truly more than precious jewels could ever bring (Proverbs 31:10).  I’m thankful for the Christian example she is to me and our children.  In between homeschooling, laundry, cooking for us and others, the dog, grocery shopping, clothes shopping, and everything else she does that I don’t know about, she makes time for Bible study and prayer.  She makes sure to incorporate the Bible as a major part of our home school curriculum.  That’s why she is so good with off-the-wall questions.
3. I have an amazing God.  Have you ever wondered what Christianity would be like if we had to “pay to play”?  What if we did have to pay a cover charge to worship?  Now that I think of it, we do.  There is a wage that we all must pay.  God requires our life, and it’s all because of our sin (Romans 6:23).  But the second half of that verse explains why I have such an amazing God: “…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  We didn’t deserve that, but God gave it to us.  God gave His Son, and Christ willingly took our place.  As my wife brilliantly said, “Jesus already paid it.”  Because of His love for us, we have a Christian family.  Name another god that claims to love his people in the same way.  Name another god who provided the sacrifice instead of slaughtering those who caused the need.  There’s not.  For that and a host of other reasons, I have an amazing God.

I have a bad habit at times of getting wrapped up in my work and everything I “need” to get done.  It’s a selfishness that makes it all about me.  Maybe you do the same.  It’s a temptation that we must deal with.  God tells us that He will help us along the way by providing an exit (I Corinthians 10:13).  Sometimes that “way of escape” comes in the form of a question from an innocent child and the quick thinking of a godly wife.