Yesterday was one of those days as a parent where I was absolutely spent by the end of the day. Nothing dramatic happened, just the normal routines of life and 100's (I'm not exaggerating) of miles in the van left me feeling very frustrated by the time a few items were forgotten at home and yet another trip was needed. In total yesterday, I made six trips from my front door to the Grace Ministries and Lititz. Now I know I only live in Ephrata, but by trip number six which was totally unplanned because of something forgotten by my child, the emotion of frustration only begins to scratch the surface of how I was feeling inside.
But, as always, God has a way of smacking me back into reality. After a late night date at the movies with my daughter (We're huge High School Musical fans), I was driving home absolutely spent because of all the miles and life lived for my children yesterday. As I was driving and listening to my daughter laugh and we talked about our favorite parts of the movie, I was reminded of how blessed a man I really am. Was the frustration that was boiling up inside of me really necessary? With all the blessing in my life, what's a few extra miles once in a while.
The more I thought about this, I could not help but think of my Heavenly Father who has consistently gone the extra mile for me. Imagine how awful our lives would be if our Father in Heaven grew weary and frustrated with us and just walked away. Daily, we as His children do things that would frustrate any human father, yet God's love for us and His willingness to go the extra mile for us never ends. It's true that we grieve Him with our sin, but He never gives up on us or stops loving us. He consistently goes the extra mile with His grace and faithfulness.
As my Heavenly Father continues to transform me and mold me into the image of His glorious Son, I pray that He continues to help me become a father like Him. I have no doubt I'm going to have to go many more extra miles for the kids, but those few extra miles are worth it to continue watching my children grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ their loving Savior.
Thank you Jesus for going the extra mile for me through your death and resurrection that I might have a full and joyous life in you as one whose sins have been forgiven! Thank you Father for a wonderful wife and children. I'm a blessed man who really has nothing to be frustrated about! So bring on the extra miles... I think!
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