Father’s Day: Look Up

Posted by Marybeth | 0 comments

By Curt Whalen
Husband of HOTM writer Marybeth Whalen, author, and homeschool dad to 6 children

Bathing my three year old is always a challenge. Don’t get me wrong. He loves the water. He loves his toys, loves pouring water from cups, and loves “painting” the walls with a washcloth. And I love watching him laugh.

But sooner than he likes, bedtime draws near and we have to get the soap out and wash the day’s dirt away. Our problem begins when we have to wash his hair. He absolutely hates shampoo, and cries out loud when I have to pour water over his head. I’m always careful and have never gotten soap in his eyes, but to him that doesn’t matter. As soon as I grab a cup to wash the shampoo away I hear, “No daddy!,” and he ducks his head to try and avoid the water, only making matters worse.

The scene played out this morning while we were getting ready for church. Bath-time was over and I began the rinsing process. As I began pouring and he ducked his head to avoid the water, I heard myself saying, “Son, just look up. Look up and everything will be OK. Look up. I won’t let it hurt you.” The second those words came out of my mouth, I felt an ache in my heart and my eyes clouded over with tears.

You see, for the past few years, life has been a struggle financially for my family. The changes in our economy have been tough at my place of employment. I’m a commissioned salesman and have watched my monthly income slowly decline. Some specific things happened over the last few weeks that have caused me to experience some extreme emotions of fear and anger. I’ve been walking through a valley and am embarrassed to admit that in my period of self-loathing, I’ve let myself turn away from God and even directed anger His way.

As I’ve found to be typical, God uses the little things of this world to draw us back to Himself. I sat in our bathroom this morning heartbroken as the implications of the words I spoke to my son were sinking in. I heard a voice inside my heart. “Son, just look up. Look up and everything will be OK. Look up. I won’t let it hurt you.”

Look up.

It is so easy when we are in the valleys of our journey that we forget to look up. It is so easy to wander aimlessly through the desert times of our lives and turn away from God instead of seeing Him for who He is. Doesn’t Jesus say that we only have to look up to God and ask for fish (Luke 11:11)? Doesn’t God’s word promise us His love and protection (2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 Peter 1:5)? Why is it that we let our faith and our hope drain out of our lives as quickly as the water drains out of a tub? Why am I so quick to forget the countless blessing I’ve already been given? How is it that I can forget that God has always provided for the things my family and I need? How is it that in a moment of trial I can still turn away from Abba Father instead of looking up and letting His love carry me through a difficult time?

I learn so much from the behavior of my children. A beautiful transformation occurred during my son’s bath this morning. For the very first time, my son fought through his fears and listened to his father’s voice. I gently coaxed him to look up to me, and with blind faith, he listened and obeyed. I carefully poured the water over his head and washed all the soap and dirt away. And I saw the realization form in his eyes that his father was going to protect him from harm. His cries of fear turned to shouts of laughter and joy.

Another transformation took place this morning. Quietly in my heart I prayed that God would forgive my unfaithfulness. Through teary eyes, I looked up to Him and promised to trust in His ways and have faith that He would help me through this difficult time. And for the first time in awhile, I rediscovered the hope I have in this life because of God’s love and His grace.

One of the hardest parts of our Christian faith is coming down off a “mountaintop” and finding yourself in a valley of suffering. We all experience it in one way or another. I praise God that we are able to put all of our hope in Him knowing that He promises to protect us. I pray that you’re not experiencing a valley in your life. But if you are, I would encourage you to look up and call out to our Father in Heaven. Fall on your knees, look up, and let his love pour over you. Let God wash all the fears of this world away.

“Look up. Look up and everything will be OK. Look up. I won’t let it hurt you.”