Paying Attention

Here is a favorite post of mine to remind myself and Will my son that I love paying attention to him and that I absolutely love him

“…so I will work hard to make sure you remember these things after I’m gone for we were not making up clever stories…” 2 Peter 1:15,16a
“You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place-until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts” 2 Peter 1:19

I apologized profusely to my 16 year old son the other day. He happened to point out as we were going outside to throw a Frisbee that he would only participate if I paid attention to the throwing and catching of the Frisbee. Me, being unusually inquisitive with such a statement asked him why he stated the obvious. He proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t be out in the yard for more than 3 minutes without “looking” at the grass. “Whadda ya mean?” I replied as I eyed a budding weed that caught my eye off to my left as I picked up the Frisbee I didn’t catch. Then came the “ouch”, “Anytime we would play catch in the backyard when I was younger you would not pay attention to me but would drift to picking weeds, sometimes I would give up playing with you.”
Oh, really, weeds in the lawn vs enjoying my son? Not my most brilliant move as a parent.
The writer of 2 Peter admonishes us to “pay attention” to what is important. We are to pay attention and listen closely to God’s word because there are many voices and distractions that pull us away from a path of life that is rich and full in Jesus. “Scripture,” the author relates, “is like a lamp shining in a dark place”, offering a relationship with the Son vs the void of dark places.
Pay attention…avoid the weeds, choose the Son. It’s a “brilliant” plan!