SPENDING TIME WITH GOD

'Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me...' Jeremiah 9:24

The other day we were taking turns asking each other IQ questions and answering them. When Heng asked a question that I already knew, I kept quiet to see if Joshua knew the answer. Actually I believed he knew the answer but because he missed out the first sentence of the question, he didn't know how to solve it. So I highlighted that statement again and immediately he got the answer. I was quite amazed that I actually understand Joshua very well. When I asked Joshua whether my understanding of him could be achieved without spending time with him, he said no.

I pondered upon what he said. At times I wondered if my staying home helped to build the bond with my son. Now even Joshua was saying if I didn't spend the time at home with him, I might not know him as much if I had been working. I know that not all mums are able to stay home, so they had to spend quality time with their kids. But really, quality isn't the same as quantity when it comes to parenting. It was in those day to day moments that a mother took time with her kids that mattered to them. Not just the big moments. It was in those mundane, seemingly insignificant moments that a mother could impart important lessons about life to her kids.

In the same way, I thought about our relationship with our Abba God. One could only get to know our Daddy God more when he spends more time with Him. Now I know that not everyone could have extended times of fellowship but God understands our hearts. As long as we desire to spend time with Him and make it a priority, we will get to know Him over time and be blessed. For me, I count myself really fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with God. My greatest blessing is a much better relationship with God. The result of this time spent with Him is that I know Him better. I know His heart, His thoughts. And that's what I can boast about too. That I understand and know the Lord.

Our culture seeks success and boasts in these things: intellect, power, status and riches. As a mother, I also wonder how my son measure up intellectually and how I can help him to achieve more in this area. There's nothing wrong with wanting them to live up to their intellectual potential, learn manners or social skills. However, if I become too stressed over his academic learning or I start comparing him to his classmates, then it has become unhealthy. God showed me that good as these things are, they are not the determining factors for success in life.

I began to see that just as I should be proud of myself and boast of my understanding of the Lord, this should be the key thing to impart to my son. Above all else, I hope my son would grow up to be someone who knows the Lord and like King David, to have a heart after God's heart. I could teach him many things and wish for him many things but one thing I desire is that he learns how to make himself happy in the Lord. I think that would be the best thing a person could ever have in life. I have been a great beneficiary of this close relationship with God and I hope my son would have it too.