more than just a cup

For anybody who has children, you know that a drink bought at your local fast food restaurant can be so much more than a once and done, especially if it is a Styrofoam or plastic cup. It can be a water bottle when times are tight and the kids are thirsty. If you were extremely parched when you ordered your drink it can serve as a trash can to stuff as full as you can with all the trash that seems to end up on the van floor. In a pinch it can even serve as a portapotty when your options are limited. That is where this story begins.

There is a resort in our area that has decided that in the slow season, that is when people are not getting out to play as much golf or play on the lake, also known as November and December, they were just not making enough money. They decided some years ago to start offering residents in the area a night of lights that was to be magical. At first this was a great thing that set you back about ten or fifteen dollars per vehicle, twenty years later and you better put in some overtime, or know some magical trick if you want your family to have that night of lights experience. We have been twice, both times because God graciously placed someone in our path with an extra pass and the desire to share it with someone.

This experience involves I don't know how many million lights along a three or four mile long route around the resort property. With six kids in the car it does not matter how many times they went potty before we left the house, those five words will be incessantly chanted until the issue has been resolved, "I have to go potty". With hundreds of cars being dazzled at any given moment on this magical night pulling over and running to the tree line is just not happening. Enter the empty cup from the moms iced coffee the night before, dad in the drivers seat unaware of the back seat goings on mind you, because the twelve days of Christmas played out in 100,000 lights can be mind boggling. So when I hear the words here dad and feel something being handed to me over my shoulder I don't give it too much thought. Then it happened, suddenly my side and leg were warm and wet all at once! "Oops" comes a voice from right behind me.

My first thought is not, as I assume yours would not be (if you are being honest with me), to look at my son and say hey aren't all these lights really cool, or what are we going to do when we leave here. No at best your coming with something like what in the world was that or I think I said, "please tell me that was not what I think it was". Then I remember the question my wiser, more patient, better half always ask me, "is that how God deals with you when you make a mistake?", and I say, "it's OK buddy, I know you didn't mean to". God's grace is so, not to sound too cliche', amazing. He is so patient with us and He never freaks out when we do something to let Him down or make Him look bad. He just says "forgiven". He holds out that big strong hands and says come to Me. As parents, and especially as dad's, it is our job to model that to our children, and I pray every day that God will develop that un-natural response in me.