I Don't Want To

"But what if I don't want to?".

I was speaking to my two sons about how I'd like them to wash the cars and that was the response from one of them. What if I don't want to. This turned into a frankly I don't care if you want to or not, I am your father and am asking you to do this. Wow, this gets under my skin. How about a sure thing, dad. Glad to help!

As a father, this is not the desired response you'd want from one of your kids. It makes me think things like: how disrespectful; how lazy; how unhelpful. I consider myself a pretty good dad to my sons. I am not militaristic (though this little back-and-forth has me considering some sort of boot camp-type atmosphere for a while). I am not overbearing (at least not in my eyes). I have tried to instill work ethic, values and a respect for mine and my wife's positions in their lives. I wonder, is this pre-teen? Is this what I have to look forward to? Perhaps some yes, and some no. I need to continue to mold and coach these two boys...and pray.

But what about us and our Heavenly Father. How much, when asked of the Lord, do we give but what if "I" don't want to? The Bible is pretty clear as to what are some of God's desires and demands. Our Heavenly Father could easily take a militaristic approach with us (and sometimes He must REALLY want to—and sometimes He allows us to journey through our own spiritual boot camp), but more often, I believe He extends incredible amounts of grace to us. As if it wasn't enough for His Son to bear our sins and die for us, He still is so incredibly patient with us. And still gives us the option of choice. Even when it is disrespectful or wrong/bad for us.

As a dad, I need to ensure that I don't expect from my children what I don't expect from myself when it comes to the wishes and will of our respective "fathers".