"Mom, Dad...could you help me with a word. I was reading my Bible this morning and I found a word I didn't understand."
It doesn't get better than that as a Dad. Hearing my son choosing to start the morning in God's Word...I was so proud. So I lay there half awake smiling as Heather asked him what the word was.
"What does 'circumcised' mean?" He was reading about Abraham's covenant with God.
I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to still be asleep, but Heather's laughter was infectious and I quickly joined her. Caleb sat there patiently, wondering why we were laughing. Heather quickly passed the question to me and left the room, taking my 8 year old daughter with her.
So I sat there, eye to eye with my nine year old son's innocent, smiling face...ready to talk man to man about circumcision. Awesome. Wondering how he was going to respond to the answer was amusing me tremendously. Well, here we go...
I decided to take the definition from two different perspectives:
1. The medical perspective: I just straight up told him what happens when a man is circumcised. His face was that of a shocked boy in a bit of pain...and throw in a morsel of "grossed-out" just for fun. I continued on to...
2. The spiritual perspective: I explained how God was setting Abraham/his descendants/and eventually the entire nation of Israel apart to be His people. God wanted Abraham to have faith in God and obey Him. The physical task was tough (understatement of the millennium), but it was up to Abraham to trust and obey God. It came down to faith, and that faith in God was the foundation for His people. I went on to explain how that faith also protected them against infection and disease that could happen to folks who were uncircumcised back then, and that God was protecting His people. Caleb's response: "Cool......but gross." I agreed, and we moved on through the rest of our day.
Can you imagine being Abraham when God called you to do something like that? WOW! And to think about some of the things I complain about (I recently caught myself complaining to God about it being too windy because the breeze was spraying oil all over as I tried to pour it into my wife's van)...ridiculous. Think of some of the other things God talked to Abraham about doing:
- God asks Abraham to move...never tells him where to go. It's about FAITH.
- God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son (which would seemingly destroy the promise God had made to Abraham that he would become the Father of all Israel and his descendants would be too numerous to count)...It's about FAITH.
It's easy to follow God when everything makes sense...that doesn't take faith. What about when you don't have the answers...when faith is required? Will you follow God then?
- I barely have enough money to survive and am in debt...I can't afford to tithe!
- There's no way God can deliver me from this addiction...He's not powerful enough...He doesn't understand the temptation!
- I can't talk to someone about God...I'm not good at speaking!
The list could go on for a long time...but it comes back to FAITH. Do you trust God or not?
Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
Today, you will put your faith in something...someone. Will it be a material possession? What about a person? Maybe you'll put your faith in yourself. Or...how about a God that always has and always will be...the ALMIGHTY! Remember God is in control, no matter what you or I think. To believe that statement is true and act on it takes FAITH. How will you depend on God today?
Stay strong,
tim
P.S. - After I tucked Caleb into bed, he softly asked me, "Daddy, did you have to...well...you know...do what we talked about this morning to me when I was born?"
"WOW...no way!" was my emphatic response. "That's what doctors are for!"
"Good..." Caleb replied, "...because I didn't want to have any boys if I was going to have to do that!"
Cute story... :)
ReplyDeleteFor kicks, you could also mention the etymology of the word. "Circum" is Latin for "around," like how the edge of a circle is the circum-ference, or how old explorers were trying to circum-navigate the globe. And "-cision" comes from the Latin verb "to cut," like how a surgeon makes an in-cision in his patient. Circum-cision - to cut around.
It sounds like maybe Caleb has heard enough about this subject though... LOL.