Daddy, I Want to Show You Something

Monday was quilting day at the church.

My wife has found an affinity with our quilters, and she enjoys helping them put quilts together.  Only one problem usually ensues: my son.

Kevin's not quite three and hasn't discovered the joys of preschool yet, and he tends to occupy my wife's time during the mornings.  He can be very demanding.  In fact, on this Monday morning, he was quite demanding when mom tried to quilt.  I received a phone call that Kevin wanted to see his daddy.

I made the short trip across the parking lot to visit with my son, and he obviously was disappointed that his mommy wanted to do something that didn't involve him.  Knowing mom wanted to quilt, I asked Kevin, "Do you want to come to Daddy's office?"

He nodded his head.

A quick trip home for a DVD player and the "Polar Express" and we were set.  Kevin played with his cars and watched the "Polar Express."  He discovered several Spiderman toys in my office and played with them.  He played peek-a-boo with my church secretary.  In short, he did a really good job of occupying himself.

Of course, he did decide from time to time to get his father's attention.

At one point in the morning, Kevin came up to me and said, "Daddy, I want to show you something."

Kevin started leading me all over the house that doubles as our church offices.  We went from room to room.  It was obvious he didn't really want to show me something.  He really just wanted some of daddy's attention.  Like a good father, I followed along with him.  He pointed to a couple of dead bugs.  He walked from room to room.  He showed me the closet.  He showed me the church library.  He showed me the restroom and the bathtub within.  I couldn't help but grin to myself as I followed this little person around.

I thought to myself that at this moment, this kid was being a pretty good little evangelist in his own right.  No, he wasn't pointing the way to Jesus or anything, but he was offering an invitation to come and see something that was important to him.  He was asking me to come along with him and check things out.  He was unabashedly offering an invitation for me to stop my daily routine and follow along with him and see the world through his eyes for just a little while.

Ah, for the bravery of a child. 

How often have I wanted to extend an invitation to someone to come to worship with my congregation on any given Sunday and then fallen short because of fear?  How often have we as Christians shirked from invitation because of fear of rejection?  How often have we paused, letting a poignant moment escape because we didn't know the words to say?

"Daddy, I want to show you something..."

"Ma'am, I want to show you something..."

"Sir, I want to show you something..."

Jesus said, "Come and see." 

Maybe, it's not so different.