The kids were downstairs watching cartoons waiting for our Saturday tradition: donuts from Dunkin’ and juice for breakfast. ‘Oh Shoot! It’s Saturday’, I thought while I dressed, the battle sounds of Spiderman and his nemesis rushing into my room and reminding me of the day. ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot’ I thought with every step, ‘how the heck am I going to do Breakfast with Jesus, when I’m breakfasting with the kids? Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.’ When I rounded the steps into our living room I took in the scene—all three of my in PJs, cups of yogurt on the end tables, bare toes peaking from under the blankets, and an anticipation of the Sunday morning sweet-treat—and thought of Jesus’ words:
You know, this was inevitable: my kids cramping my Super-spiritual style, but there’s truth in Jesus words here for you and for me. This year we’ve made some promises to ourselves, some of us have called them OneWord365, some have called them goals, the common label is “resolution” but in essence it’s a promise, a hope, a dream to grow over the next 365 days. This in and itself is noble and good. But let’s be careful to not be legalistic about our New Year’s goals. Let us not become like the disciples who were too busy caring about the “important” work of discipleship: crowd control, absorbing Jesus’ teaching, jockeying for position in his Kingdom, pandering to the VIPS, that we forget about the little ones—the loud, needy, waiting little ones to whom the kingdom of Heaven belongs. So, I pulled my coat from the rack and said, “I’m taking the bus to Harvard Square. Who wants to come with me for Saturday tradition?”
We had a great breakfast, but I learned something about the way Jesus works, he cares more about the people he meets on the way to his destination than the destination itself. He recognizes that along the way to achieving his goals, there will be interruptions, but that’s ok. The Kingdom of God is found in interruptions, in the eschewing of expectations, and the loving the little ones.
See you tomorrow for a new recipe and a few words from Jesus found in “Bread and Wine” by Shauna Niequist. (pssst… the kindle version is only $2.99 right now and going through the book this year is one of my “Taste I Wills” so….go buy it if you don’t have it.)
With hope,
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