Eek! Summer is almost over. My kids are making the most of their final moments. One of their favorite activities is gathering friends to play Manhunt. Manhunt is a game that requires that you dress like a burglar, wait for the sun to set, go down the street to the kid-loaded cul de sac, and hunt for each other in the dark. The rules and strategies elude me, but the kids seem to understand it all perfectly, and they love it. I think it’s a little like flashlight tag - without the flashlights.
Last night, the boys rallied their two buds, put on their wool caps, and headed down the street to find the other masked men. With school starting in a few days, I have been trying to get us into a decent bedtime routine again, so when my friend Karen dropped them all off (her boys are the aforementioned “buds”) she informed them that someone would be returning in just over an hour to pick everyone up again. Within minutes, my phone was ringing and a protest was mounted.
“One hour is not enough time to play Manhunt, Mom.”
“Mom, school doesn’t start tomorrow, so what’s the big deal?”
“Some of the other players haven’t even shown up yet. We are already getting a late start, so we can’t leave early.”
In between each argument, I told Noah that the timeline was nonnegotiable, but he persisted. I could hear my other son, and the two buds, offering Noah bigger and better ways to dispute our unreasonable demands, and they kept asking him to “see if that works.” In the end, I threatened to pick them up in five minutes, instead of 60, and they relented with a begrudging, “Okay. Goodbye, Mom.” Click.
When I did go to pick them up, an hour later, they regaled me with stories of hiding and excitement and winning. They had a blast, and there was no mention of the killjoy early hour.
Later, after every child was tucked in bed, I was having a discussion with God about an attitude that I know He wants to rid me of. Frankly, it’s a feeling about a person. After a brief back-and-forth with God, I was reminded of Manhunt. Why do I refuse to hunt for the good in this man? Instead, I dwell on what bugs me.
Loving this man is nonnegotiable, no matter how good my arguments against it. I keep pointing out his flaws to “see if that works” but always end up realizing that God is not being a killjoy – He simply wants us all to win.
Last night, the boys rallied their two buds, put on their wool caps, and headed down the street to find the other masked men. With school starting in a few days, I have been trying to get us into a decent bedtime routine again, so when my friend Karen dropped them all off (her boys are the aforementioned “buds”) she informed them that someone would be returning in just over an hour to pick everyone up again. Within minutes, my phone was ringing and a protest was mounted.
“One hour is not enough time to play Manhunt, Mom.”
“Mom, school doesn’t start tomorrow, so what’s the big deal?”
“Some of the other players haven’t even shown up yet. We are already getting a late start, so we can’t leave early.”
In between each argument, I told Noah that the timeline was nonnegotiable, but he persisted. I could hear my other son, and the two buds, offering Noah bigger and better ways to dispute our unreasonable demands, and they kept asking him to “see if that works.” In the end, I threatened to pick them up in five minutes, instead of 60, and they relented with a begrudging, “Okay. Goodbye, Mom.” Click.
When I did go to pick them up, an hour later, they regaled me with stories of hiding and excitement and winning. They had a blast, and there was no mention of the killjoy early hour.
Later, after every child was tucked in bed, I was having a discussion with God about an attitude that I know He wants to rid me of. Frankly, it’s a feeling about a person. After a brief back-and-forth with God, I was reminded of Manhunt. Why do I refuse to hunt for the good in this man? Instead, I dwell on what bugs me.
Loving this man is nonnegotiable, no matter how good my arguments against it. I keep pointing out his flaws to “see if that works” but always end up realizing that God is not being a killjoy – He simply wants us all to win.
2 comments:
"Bidden or unbidden, God is present."
Carl Jung had this inscribed over his doorway. Seems to me God is with us whether we are playing Manhunt or Goodhunt or not.
This is a great reminder that If we look, He is there.
Thank you, Wendy for the reminder.
Sorry for the grammatical error in the last post.
Steve
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