My son, wanting to get to a television program, raced through dinner. Which caused me to ask, “That was a quick dinner — did you chew any of it?”
And suddenly, I was time warped back 40 years — for my Dad said that to me from time-to-time when I raced through dinner to get to something I was eager to do.
I was struck by the warm, secure, happy, buoyant feelings that enveloped me.
Those of us who have lost a parent sometimes say, “I miss my Dad,” or “I miss my Mom.” I realized in this moment, that while that is very true, I also very much miss being a kid. Or, rather, I miss what my childhood was characterized by. I was secure and happy and joyous and hopeful for & in the future. There was unconscious confidence in the various people and institutions that filled and guided my life — they taught and/or reinforced truth and how to live it. Most of all, the relationship with and confidence in my parents, provided the foundation for all of this. I was loved, valued, disciplined (in the right way, for the right reasons), sacrificed for.
I miss being a kid.
And then I thought, I still have a Dad. He loves me, values me, disciplines me (in the right way, for the right reasons; see Proverbs 3:12), and has given the greatest sacrifice for me — His only begotten Son that I might become His child (see John 1:12, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:4-6).
And I realize I’m still a kid, with a Father in whom I can have relationship with and confidence in. And I am enveloped by the warm, secure, happy, buoyant feelings that accompany the child who is indeed loved.
Ants in the Pants of Faith 