It’s all about love

Psalm 127 gets two thumbs up... from my kids that is. And no, I'm not
teaching my offspring to rate bible passages in their spare time.
What I did do was take my seven-year-old boy and six-year-old girl
from their lego building and asked them if I could read a bible
passage to them. "I don't know," was the doubtful response. "But
look," I said, showing them my open bible, "it's only five verses."
So I read those five verse which let us in on the fact that we need
God no matter what we do, that God provides for us so we can relax a
little bit, and that kids are a gift from God.
That last bit understandably caught my children's attention. "Yeah" my
son shouted along with a pump of his fist, as I read vs. 3 "Children
are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."
In fact the majority of the psalm, (the last three verses) are about
the blessing of kids, and how they are like sharp arrows in a warriors
quiver.
Obviously the significance of sons (to take care of their parents,
continue the family name, and take over the family farm or trade) has
lessened in todays society, and although our children are definitely
gifts I didn't really think this is what God wanted to point out to me.
So I gravitated to the first verse, which talks about how important
God is to us. "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the
builders is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with
sentries will do no good."
That's amazingly true. I often like to think I can manage my day to
day life just fine, and call on God when I think he's needed. If
someone dies, is very sick, or if there's a big event, challenge or
trip coming up, I bow before God and hand him my list of needs so to
speak. I forget that without God on my side, even day to day
activities would not happen.
But that's still not what I thought God was showing me, or at least
not all He wanted me to know.
So what's left? Verse two! "It is useless for you to work so hard from
early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones."
Look at the language used. It is USELESS to work that hard. Not that
it isn't recommended, or healthy, or the smartest thing to do, but
that it is USELESS. There is no point to doing that. It doesn't serve
any use.
Now I am probably the last one to overwork, I'll admit that, but I'm
the first one to worry and obsess about things that are out of my
control.
This text also applies to us worriers. God is in control, and
worrying, or overworking is useless.
So I analyzed this psalm and still could not hear what God was telling
me. What did he want me to know.
So naturally I asked my son, "what do you think God wants us to learn
from this?"
He didn't even pause, but gave me a look as if I had just asked him if
water was wet. "He wants us to treat ourselves with love," he said,
stopping to add one more lego piece to a partially constructed fire
truck. "He wants us to treat our family with love too."
And then if fell into place.
Children are gifts of love... God's telling us not to be so hard on
ourselves because he's got it covered, and he makes sure we know with
verse one that he is a part of everything that is good.
It really is all about love.
Submitted by Greg Vandermeulen