It is amazing, how all it takes is to hear that his Daddy is flying on an airplane to get my son missing his Dad all the more then a normal day of work. Joel had just left a couple hours before, when Liam came into the room at 630am to tell me that "he missed his Daddy". Later that day, he prayed to Jesus that "he would not be sad with his Daddy gone".
Last night before his departure, we had a little farewell meal that they enjoy- the usual quick thrown together Japanese meal of mochi, gyoza, rice (and veggies). And then Joel wanted to play some games while the boys played together. I think he was hoping to school me (as he usually does), but it was a rarity, because I won... both times. And I could have avoided winning the last game, but I didn't. It actually occurred to me before I laid down my card, that I could show mercy (and I would've had it been one of my children), and I'm not even all that competitive, but I laid down the card anyways. And it put my very competitive husband into a depressed mood. Liam saw it right away, and asked his Daddy to come play with him, telling him "don't worry Daddy, I'll let you win".
Throughout their game of matching, he kept congratulating Joel when he would get matching pairs, and reassure his Dad when he got matching pairs, that his Daddy would still win and be happy again. And not that winning is always everything (or that we should teach our son that happiness only comes through winning), but it delighted us to see how he cared more about his father then himself. Our evening devotion had been over imitating Christ, and Liam told me afterwards, that he let his Daddy win, because Jesus wanted him to be kind just like Jesus was kind, and that makes him a Christian. We talked about what it really meant to be a Christian, but Liam told me he needs to be like Jesus first before he can be a Christian.
The next day he was shoved over a couple of times by a friend. He told me later that evening that it made him sad when he was pushed, but he didn't push back because Jesus didn't push the "bad soldiers when they came and got him in the garden and put him on the cross. And it would make Jesus sad if he pushed his friend back."
Now my son isn't perfect (and usually he'll have a heart-warming moment, followed by a "punch your brother in the face because he restarted Patch the Pirate" moment), but it's still humbling to me, and really has made me think the past couple of days about whether I intentionally in my everyday little acts try to imitate Christ. Are we reflecting Christ for our children?
"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And
walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for
us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
Ephesians 5:1-2
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