Hockey cards and 11 year old boys.

The other day my son Timothy and his good friend Josh, wanted me to take them to the dollar store to see about getting some packs of Hockey Cards, which they collect.

Part of the excitement is of course opening each package and seeing if you get that special card, or unique card that you knew about, but never had.

So of course their eyes large with rack upon rack of hockey cards...hmm...which ones do we choose?

Josh says "why don't we pray to the LORD for it?" Timothy agrees and the 2 of them are praying out loud to the LORD to first give them certain cards and then they changed their prayer to 'show them, which card packs to buy'.

Right there, loud and clear as two 11 years olds could be, they were praying! In the store!

Our boys call prayer "cheating", because you are relying on the help of another (not on your own ability).

At then end, Josh was contemplating about finally this 'box' or 'that one'.  "Timothy" he asks, "you know about these things, you chose for me".

Note: know about these things, meaning spiritually see, not visually see.  Because all the cards are in wrapped packages and some inside even larger boxes (with packs inside), nobody can tell which has what.

Josh grabbed the small box, there were like 7 others he could have chosen, but he chose this one, but looking at Timothy he gestured "you show me, which one". Re-emphasizing what he just asked him.

Timothy quickly said "not this one, but that one".

Note: some hockey cards come in individual packs, others in small boxes of multiple packs.

So they make their choices (after prayer) and we go for ice-cream and go home.
I mentioned some caution, as we walked out of the store, about GOD not being a 'Santa Clause', careful not wanting any hearts to be disappointed.

Boy was I in for a surprise!

All that trust in ME will never be disappointed is the scripture. Psalm 25:3

They got what they were looking for and more! They were surprised as well as my older son, who wasn't there at the time, but just as much, I was surprised!  Not that the LORD answered prayer, because we've seen HIM come through for all kinds of things - everything is small to our BIG GOD!

Surprising, because of the audacity of what the kids were asking for!  The Boldness for that thing and the joy in it all!  The whole thing was fun and exciting.

5:40 I wake up the next morning to the LORD asking me

DAD/PAPA :  "When did you get so serious, that you weren't free enough to pray like the boys did?"
HE continued, "When has life for you got to be so stringent, that prayer can't be fun and frivolous?"

"Frivolous?" I protested, here I was trying to protect GOD's reputation, or was it the reputation I had built about HIM?

DAD/PAPA: "Where is the spontaneous joy? The childlike faith so expecting, so simple?  Not the badgering, not the demanding, not the crying but the joy of it all?"

DAD/PAPA:  "and one more thing about your theology son.  You are right, I AM not Santa, I AM way better than Santa.  Santa only got where he got, following me, and so will you".

Ask anything in MY name and I will give it to you!
Come before MY throne with boldness!

-eric