Lessons from Frostys

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:22-23, NIV).

One of the things my girls look forward to each week is T-Mobile Tuesday. Every Tuesday, we get a coupon for a free Frosty at Wendy’s. It’s something that T-Mobile does to say “thank you” for being a customer. So Tuesdays after dinner we head out to Wendy’s together for a free dessert treat.

For me, the Frosty is not the main attraction. It’s getting time out with my girls. After we get our Frostys, we find a table and each share our bud, thorn, and bloom of the day. The bud is something that you really liked that day. The thorn is something that you did not like. The bloom is something that you are looking forward to tomorrow. It is a great conversation starter.

I am fortunate to enjoy a close relationship with Maggie, Anna, and Rachel. One of the reasons I do is because I take the time to do things like that with them. There are of course times when life makes that hard or even impossible to do, and when that happens their moods can really be affected. They need their daddy time.

In the same way, we need to be taking regular time to spend with our heavenly Father. I need time with Him, to talk, to share, to plan, to cry, and to laugh. Unlike me with my girls, life is never too busy for God to love me, to listen to me, to encourage me, and to get me back on track. If I miss that time, it’s on me. It’s never God who fails to make the time. And like my girls with me, when I miss that time, often my mood is affected in a negative way. I not only want time with Him, I need time with Him. When I spend time with Him, I am more patient, more forgiving, more compassionate, more humble; in a word I am more loving. After all it is loving God that enables us to love others. If we are experiencing trouble in loving others, the trouble can be traced back to a problem with loving God and/or accepting His love of us.

Jesus said that the Father loves you with the same level of love that He has for Jesus. You can’t get more loved than that. But the only way to experience that love is to take the time to be with Him. If you’re too busy to take time to be with your Father, you’re only hurting yourself. Take the time. You will always be glad you did.