Do you believe that God is present in the smile of a child, in the tears of a parent's grief over a suffering adolescent, in the sudden breakthrough of understading between quarreling spouses? Eternal truths can be learned by observing the most common elements of life: nursing an infant may be a window into God's nurturing care for each of us; bandaging a cut can help us know the healing desire of God; playing games may speak of the divine playfulness that knows our need for recreation; tending a garden may teach us the dynamics of growth. Families learn that they are sacred communities when they begin to name and claim the many forms of God's grace in their daily life.
- Marjorie J. Thompson
from "Family: The Forming Center"*
I think Ms. Thompson is on to something here and I quite agree with her. God has put us in community because He is a communal person. We learn about God by observing one another which only makes sense given that we are created in His image and likeness. This is especially true of families and for me as a parent. I understand now more than ever the father heart of God because I, myself, am a father. I understand myself as a son of God by observing my own sons - how do they see me? How do they want or need me to respond to them? What is child-likeness?
God is the great teacher and He knows we learn much more by personal experience than any other method. Suddenly, I now have the text-to-self connection I need to understand what the Bible is saying about various topics. Could I understand it without these? Yes, but now I understand it on a deeper level. It is God's grace in my life that allows me to be a continual learner - to know Him better and more. It's something I need and yet one more thing for which to be thankful.
* Quote provided from Sojourners "Verse and Voice" - Subscribe
