S3 E29 - "Hey Dad, Are You Watching?"

Children want their parents attention. Constantly my kids are asking, "Dad, are you watching?" or, "Dad! Look! See me?" The idea of me watching them does not cause them anxiety but great joy, why? Because no matter what they are doing, they want to please me. Well...as children of God, how does the idea of Him watching make us feel? If the answer is fearful, then we are not walking like children as we should be. If we make it our aim to be pleasing to God in all that we do, then we should desire for him to be watching. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths?

Would you believe me? 
 Hi, I’m BJ Sipe – and you’re listening to the Set Your Mind Above Podcast. 

I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father.

Thanks for tuning in!

We had the most incredible week, as my dear friend and mentor Scott Hafer made his way down from Marion, Indiana to deliver a special series of lessons to the church here. His topic was, “Raising godly children in modern culture” – which needless to say is an incredibly important discussion for us to be having. We played host Saturday through yesterday morning, so thank you for being patient as the podcast is coming out just a day late this week. In this week’s episode, we are going to spend some time talking about children. My children, in particular, but what I am going to share with you is not unique to Dane, Ava, or Finley. It is something that each and every one of you have experienced yourselves if you have children, cousins, nephews, nieces, or friends with children for that matter. The truth of the matter is this: kids want your constant attention. So earlier this week, Scott was taking some time to get ready for the evening so I took the kids outback to play and get some work done myself. I sat there on our patio, trying to focus on the task at hand, but was interrupted literally every 10 seconds with the following question: “Hey dad, are you watching???” “No sweetie, daddy is working,” I would respond. This continued for nearly a half an hour, and finally I had wrapped up my work I needed to do so I set my computer down and said, “Okay, I’m watching now – what did you want to show me?” What both of my children proceeded to then show me was epic. “Dad look, I can swing with one foot up!” Ava would yell. “Dad, watch this!” Dane would then say, as he ran from one end of the yard to the other. Even while I was actively watching, they would keep looking back over their shoulder to make sure that I was. “Dad, did you see?” “Dad, look at me!” “Dad, are you watching?” I’m sure that this is an all too familiar scene for you too. Kids are constantly wanting us to watch, look, listen, and give them our undivided attention. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? As I sat there laughing at all the silly things my kids wanted to show me they could do, it occurred to me: my children want my attention because my children want to please me. They want to know that they have my approval, and they want to impress me with everything that they do. Every picture they draw. Every costume they put on. Every song they make up. Every dance they perform. Even the way they play or swing – they want to make sure that I’ve got eyes on them, because they are doing it for me. To hear, “Daddy is watching” does not bring fear or anxiety into their hearts, but quite the opposite – it thrills them, because what they are doing they’re doing for me. 

The longer I have been a parent, the more I understand the relationship that our heavenly Father desires to have with his children. Let me ask you this question – if I were to tell you, “God is watching” what kind of emotion does that conjure up in your heart? That question is not theoretical in nature, by the way, it is a spiritual reality. We read in Proverbs 5:21, “For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths.” Likewise, we read in Hebrews 4:13, “No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.” God is watching, and as a matter of fact, he sees our every thought, action, intent, and decision that we make in this life. So again, I’ll ask you the question – how does that make you feel? If I could guess right, perhaps the first emotion that comes into your mind is not joy – but fear. Why? Well, perhaps for the same reason as my children. While in almost every instance my children want me to be watching, from time to time they don’t, and that is when they know they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing. They are attempting to hide something from me, and for that reason they don’t want me to be watching because they know they’ll get into trouble. If the idea that God is watching you strikes fear into your heart, I could just about guarantee it is because you are continuing to do something in your life that you know you ought not to be doing. We are called to be holy as he is holy. We are called to walk in the light. If we are continuing to walk in darkness and continuing in sin, then we have a good reason to fear. But this is not the way that things ought to be, nor the way that our Father desires things to be. We are his children, and as such we need to ask ourselves – in all that we do, do we seek to be pleasing to God? Paul would write in 2 Corinthians 5:7-9, “For we walk by faith, not by sight. In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.” Likewise, we read in 1 John 3:21-22, “Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.” It is well known that Jesus calls for us to become more like children throughout his ministry, and there are many applications of such a statement. But I believe one of the most important ones for us to remember is that children have an innate desire to be pleasing to their parents. My children make it their aim to please me, and to do the things they think I would love and be impressed with. They do not fear my attention, but rather they crave it because more than anything they want to make me happy and to praise them. So, as children of God, have we made it our aim to be pleasing to God? In everything that we do, through our thoughts, actions, and words, are we striving to do what we know God has asked us to do? If so, then we would not fear the idea that God is watching us. Rather, such a thought should bring us great comfort! As we devote ourselves to doing the things God has called us to, we should be able to confidently cry out, “God – watch this!” just like my children do. This is the kind of relationship that God seeks with his children. This is the kind of relationship that God praises. Let us conclude with 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to give strong support to those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him.” 

Thank you for tuning in for this week’s episode, and I would invite you back every Thursday for a brand-new episode each week. If you haven’t already, be sure to find us on Facebook for future announcements or even some special video sessions. If you have benefited from this podcast, share it with someone else that you think would benefit from it also. Until next time, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each & every day set our minds above.