This week, while teaching about dystopian literature, my students and I watched a movie about a dystopian society. The goal was for students to identify characteristics of a dystopia and list examples of a graphic organizer that they had been provided. As we began watching the movie, I learned that some students had previously viewed it and others had not. In one particular class, no students had seen the movie before. As the plot twists and tragedies unfolded on the screen, I found myself experiencing the movie in a whole new way by taking in their reactions and responses to these key moments. It made everything about the movie feel new, and it altered my perception of a few points that I previously had not thought much about.

I’ve often had this same experience as a parent. There is a unique and indescribable joy found in viewing the world through your children’s eyes. A simple ant crawling outside can take an hour of your time if you just look at it with the curiosity and joy of a child. Stuck in the rain while out running errands? Just smile and frolic along with your kids – their joy becomes your joy. I have learned to appreciate and experience many new things in life, simply because my children showed interest and excitement in them. They have opened my mind and my world to new things, just by being the perfectly imperfect tiny humans that God designed them to be. 

In learning to appreciate the opportunities to see life through another’s eyes, I wondered what God might be seeing through my eyes. Am I bringing Him joy with my actions? Does He see the appreciation and awe I have for the world He has created? If He does, does this make Him proud of me? Happy? Do I bring Him honor with how I walk through life? I have always seen God in nature and felt His presence in its beauty. I’d like to think that in those moments He does see and feel the appreciation I have for His world. I’d like to think that these are the moments I feel closest to Him and Him to me.

But what about the not so nice moments? The moments where I am unkind or vengeful? What does the Lord see through my eyes when I commit sin, when I don’t act as I know He would want me to? It is harder to imagine myself bringing Him joy or honor in those times. Instead, I worry that it would make him sad or even angry. I worry that moments like these will hurt, or possibly break, my relationship with Jesus. 

Then, it occurred to me.

Do I get upset and angry with my kids when they act out, are unkind, and do not listen? Absolutely. Does that frustration, sadness, or anger hurt my relationship with them in any way? Absolutely not. I tell my boys all the time that no matter how angry or upset I may be with them, I will always love them. When we have tough days or big disagreements, we always end with hugs and kisses. We always end with love, even if we are still angry. 

The difference between us as parents and God as our father is that God does not feel wrath towards His children. Jesus already absorbed all of that wrath for us. As Romans 5:8 states, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God will never “lose his cool” with us or overreact for something that we did wrong. He is ever patient and ever loving even as he disciplines us. It is in His firm resolve that we learn from our sins without fear of condemnation. May we consider how God parents us and sees us and bring that calmness and wisdom to our own parenting, teaching, or whatever journey God has us on, especially when the days get tough (as we all know they often do). 

ABOUT OUR BLOGGER

Lisa Replogle has had a long, ever-changing journey in her relationship with Christ, and she is excited to share what she has learned along the way. She is a certified early childhood and special education teacher and currently teaches high school learning support.

She spends her time outside of the classroom coaching Special Olympics Unified Sports and sharing her passion for dance with local groups for individuals who identify as disabled.

Lisa and her husband, Russ, are the parents of seven-year-old identical twin boys who love to be active and outdoors.