On the way to dinner, however, our daughter started complaining about not going to the restaurant she wanted to go to. The complaining escalated quickly into whining. Monica and I had noticed earlier that there was an unusual amount of whining going on lately. And as a parent it just makes you cringe when you plan an entire day out to bless your family yet what’s being highlighted is what we’re not doing rather than all the special things we did do. Nevertheless, whining is on our list of unacceptable behavior for our household. So I looked at Lilly and reminded her that whining isn’t acceptable and I said to her, “Sweetie, Mommy and Daddy have noticed that you’ve been whining a lot lately. We know that whining isn’t a way to communicate that glorifies God. Can you tell me why you’ve been whining so much?”

(Long silent pause.)

Is she listening to me? Has she learned to blank out “dad speeches” at the ripe age of five? I reminder her that I expected an answer from her, and she gently replied, “I’m thinking.” Was she thinking? Was she thinking about what I asked her? Or was she wondering why the sky is blue? I didn’t know?

(Shorter silent pause.)

I said again, “Lilly, I’m waiting for an answer for why you’ve been whining so much lately.” She gently replied again, “I’m thinking.”

(Short silent pause.)

“Daddy, I think I whine a lot because we used to read the Bible every night as a family but we don’t do that anymore and sometimes I forget how I’m supposed to act because we don’t read the Bible like we used to.”

If you’re wondering, yes, that dagger stung. My mind went right into self-defense mode. Is she trying to be manipulative? Is she blame-shifting? Or is she right? We did used to read the Bible together almost every night. It was a good pattern that we hadn’t kept up with for a season. There was no excuse, we just allowed it to happen. Lilly’s answer was consistent with the way the way God works. Jesus says over and over again in John 15, “I am the vine and you are the branches, remain in me and I will remain in you.” We hadn’t been remaining in Christ together.

I knew what I had to do next. I looked back at my daughter and trusted that what she said was from her heart. I asked for forgiveness for not leading our family better and reading the Bible together more. I let her know that all three of us should try to remind each other that we need to read the Bible together every night. (And if I forget, Lilly does urgently remind me!) But I also reminder her that as we get back into good habits that as we read the Bible it should change us. And that means no more whining. Of course we don’t often change over night. We’re all works in progress and Lilly is, too. But we’re back on track using God’s Word to gently remind one another about the truth, and the ways that God wants us to be transformed.

We all need people to speak truth into our lives. It may sting at first (it will), but with grace we have the opportunity to be transformed – and not just into better versions of ourselves, but transformed into the image of Christ.

That’s my most recent story of being humbled by a five-year-old.

What can make things right?

The local, national, and international news informs us of the injustice, poverty, and chaos of our world. Our personal experiences speak to the lack of fulfillment and security found in the items, relationships, and statuses that we hope bring happiness. Political campaigns remind us of the broken promises made by and unfulfilled hopes placed on political leaders. The narrative of our time and the hope of the human race is the desire that someone will make things right.

Thankfully, there is an answer to the defining question of humanity. The gospel has the power to redeem, restore, and renew. Join us April 22 – May 20 as we explore RENEWAL in Christ, Community, City, Culture, and Cause.

Watch the Renewal video.

Renewal from Jay O'Brien on Vimeo.

I wanted to simply give one resource to help us pursue gospel centered music. Come and Live [www.comeandlive.com] is a record label that is gospel focused. All their bands desire to spread the gospel through their music so much that they give away ALL THEIR MUSIC FOR FREE OR DONATIONS!!! This record label has greatly blessed me. They have a wide variety of music styles to fit many different tastes. Some of my favorites are Ascend the Hill, Great Awakening, Lovelite, and Preson Phillips among others. Please take advantage of this resource. Let their music bless you all and grow you in your faith.