"Daddy, I'm not having fun anymore"
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| The Prophets in My Life |
My most recent parenting fail (and certainly not my last) ended with these words that stung like no other. Now into my tenth year teaching math at Jesuit, of course I should be able to teach my 4-year-old son single digit addition, right? What started out as an innocent invitation from my son to share my time and attention suddenly brought out the worst of my teaching and my parenting as my stubbornness and impatience melted the joyful spirit of my son and left me speechless with his words.
“Daddy, I’m not having fun anymore.” And then, silence.
I proceed to wipe the tears from his face with my hands.
“Thomas, I am so sorry you are not having fun anymore. Thank you for telling me. I really appreciate that you had the courage to tell me. Please forgive me.”
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My journey through fatherhood has been beautiful, wonderful, amazing, anxious, crazy, painful, awful, tiring, forgiving, joyful, and loving, always loving. When I am at my best, I am able to see and admire God’s presence dwelling in and throughout my relationship with my son. I can see myself in my son, and I see my son in myself. I can see myself as God sees me, and I can see my son as God sees me. I see God in my son. I pray that my son sees God in me.
As we journey closer to Christmas throughout these remaining days of Advent, I hear in today’s Gospel the cries of St. John the Baptist, calling out to me from the desert moments of my life, proclaiming the Good News of the coming of Christ. Who are the prophets in your life? Who are the prophets living among you and around you who call you out your desert moments and point you to the One who is coming? Who are those prophets who inspire you to make straight the way of the Lord and to prepare your heart so that Christ may dwell within you?
I see how God longs for my time and my attention in my wife and in my sons. I recognize the courage it takes for my son to tell his father when things are difficult and not fun, and this inspires me to do the same with God, Our Father. For all the times my sons and my wife (especially my wife) forgive me for my wrongs, the graces of our reconciliations encourage me to reconcile with our Loving and Merciful God.
This week, may we have the courage to tell God when we’re not having fun anymore. May this practice become a habit and may this habit become our prayer to the God who longs for our time and our attention. May we recognize the prophets among us who lead us out of the desert and point us to the one who is coming. With God’s help, may we be the prophets for those around us who hope and long for the peace and comfort that comes with the birth of our Divine Messiah.
Come, Lord Jesus. Come.
“Daddy, I’m not having fun anymore.” And then, silence.
I proceed to wipe the tears from his face with my hands.
“Thomas, I am so sorry you are not having fun anymore. Thank you for telling me. I really appreciate that you had the courage to tell me. Please forgive me.”
--
My journey through fatherhood has been beautiful, wonderful, amazing, anxious, crazy, painful, awful, tiring, forgiving, joyful, and loving, always loving. When I am at my best, I am able to see and admire God’s presence dwelling in and throughout my relationship with my son. I can see myself in my son, and I see my son in myself. I can see myself as God sees me, and I can see my son as God sees me. I see God in my son. I pray that my son sees God in me.
As we journey closer to Christmas throughout these remaining days of Advent, I hear in today’s Gospel the cries of St. John the Baptist, calling out to me from the desert moments of my life, proclaiming the Good News of the coming of Christ. Who are the prophets in your life? Who are the prophets living among you and around you who call you out your desert moments and point you to the One who is coming? Who are those prophets who inspire you to make straight the way of the Lord and to prepare your heart so that Christ may dwell within you?
I see how God longs for my time and my attention in my wife and in my sons. I recognize the courage it takes for my son to tell his father when things are difficult and not fun, and this inspires me to do the same with God, Our Father. For all the times my sons and my wife (especially my wife) forgive me for my wrongs, the graces of our reconciliations encourage me to reconcile with our Loving and Merciful God.
This week, may we have the courage to tell God when we’re not having fun anymore. May this practice become a habit and may this habit become our prayer to the God who longs for our time and our attention. May we recognize the prophets among us who lead us out of the desert and point us to the one who is coming. With God’s help, may we be the prophets for those around us who hope and long for the peace and comfort that comes with the birth of our Divine Messiah.
Come, Lord Jesus. Come.
Author: Joe Nava, Mathematics Department
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