Under-Doggies

One of the best parts of being at school is the swing set.  Every-once-in-a-while I take a break from paperwork and go out to the playground to push some of you as you swing.  Yesterday during afternoon daycare was one of those times.

“Smaller children get to swing first” is the rule.  Malik, Kaitlyn and Jonas were “up to bat.”  One problem though: they can’t quite get their bottoms up to the level of the seat of the swing yet.  Yep, they have to “belly swing.” 

There are a couple problems with “belly swinging.”  First, you don’t get very high and you’re always lookin’ at the ground.  That’s right; you don’t get the feeling that you’re about to take off into the big blue sky.  

The other problem is that when you do try to go high, a lot of times you’ll find yourself too far forward on the swing.  What happens next is not too good at all.  Yep, you go head first off the swing.  And while you’re happy that the rubber mulch is there, you didn’t really want to eat it for your after-school snack.

Malik, Kaitlyn and Jonas were all smarter than to involve themselves in the problems of “belly swinging.”   “Hey Pastor Wilson,” they called out, “Give me a push!  I wanna’ go high!”   Next thing they knew they were laughing with their eyes wide open lookin’ up into the big blue sky.  They had been given an “Under-Doggie.”  You know the kind.  It’s when someone pushes you and runs underneath your swing, so you can get really high.  And of course, when they started to slow down, only one word was necessary, “Again!”

“Belly swinging” and “Under-Doggies” got me to thinkin’ about our friendship with God.   So often we try to be to be friends with God in a silly way.  We don’t talk to Him like He is a person, so we leave Him out of the friendship.  Yes, yes, we may be going to church and to Christian school to learn about God, but are we really getting to know Him?

God wants to be involved in every part of our lives.  We let Him in by talking to Him.  The Apostle Paul wrote this down in his letter to the Ephesians: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).”

Now when we let God into every part of our lives, we have to remember who He really is!  He has all power; He is everywhere at once; He knows everything!   And He wants to share all He is with us! 

None of us want to be in a friendship with God that is like “belly swinging.”  You know - always looking at “earthly things”, not feeling like we’re getting very close to Him and worried constantly about falling out of our friendship with Him.

No!  We want to ask Him for His life in every part of our life, so that we “soar high” with our eyes looking ahead to being with Him in Heaven!  He is willing to give us His strength; all He asks is that we talk to Him in prayer.  

Yep, sort of like asking for an “Under-Doggie.”

Let’s talk to Him about it.  Dear Father, thank You for wanting to be in a friendship with me.  I want to include You in every part of all I do.  And while I know that You may “push me high”, I ask You to give me Your power and Your love and Your thinking so that I can “soar high” with You!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Proud of You,

Pastor Wilson

PS: some good verses: Isaiah 40:31, II Corinthians 12:9, Colossians 3:1-4