Boast in This

I walked into the school cafeteria a minute before the awards ceremony began and searched for my son, who was sitting somewhere on the floor past the rows of parents seated at the lunch tables.

Somehow, I had missed the memo about this awards ceremony until the night before and had to cancel plans to celebrate my birthday with friends the next morning, which made me feel bad. I hated to cancel on them so late, and I was also a bit disappointed to have to postpone the celebration. Still, there was no way I was about to miss this awards ceremony if I could help it. I wanted my son to know that, after God, he and our family came first.

A few minutes into the program, I got a better idea of where Liam might be, so I strolled over to the other side of the room, stopping to stand within his direct line of vision once I had spotted him.

Being the shy kid that he is, he mainly stared at the floor that morning, but when he dared to look out into the sea of faces, his gaze met mine,  and suddenly, his eyes brightened as the broadest smile spread over his face.

“That’s my mom!” he excitedly told his classmates as he pointed to me. I could hear him from the opposite end of the room. And although none of them seemed too interested in this news, his sheer happiness over seeing me compelled him to tell them all the same.

I fought back tears of joy that morning as I watched my son’s reaction to seeing me.
I felt so deeply honored that Liam would want everyone around him to know who I was, and I felt humbled, too. The truth is, I’m very aware of my shortcomings as a mom. That morning, however, Liam saw me as the best mom in the world because I had shown up for him at this event. He felt loved. He felt happy. And he felt proud to have me as his mom.

As I reveled in this tender moment, I couldn’t help but think about how much we, as believers, must please God when we respond to Him as my son did to me that day. He “shows up” for us all the time,  because He, in fact, is always with us.
When we recognize His presence with us,  albeit through how He works in our lives, through His Word, or through the glorious work of His hands, how do we respond?
Are we quick to tell others around us “that’s my Dad!” even when we are met by the apathy of others? I pray God will help me to be that type of woman.  I want to overflow with joy and excitement over knowing God and knowing He is with me.

At one point during the awards ceremony, some parents crowded around Liam to take pictures of their own children getting awards directly behind him, which obstructed his view of me. Determined to keep me in sight, however, Liam simply hunched over to look at me through the forest of grown-up legs separating us. It was yet another tenderhearted moment which has only come to mean more to me in light of these spiritual ponderings.

The truth is, I was there to recognize Liam for his achievements that day. That was the whole point of the ceremony–to focus on and honor the students who had obtained some sort of academic achievement. And yet, Liam just wanted to keep me in focus the whole time and to boast about having me as a mom.

This life will afford us all opportunities to be recognized for some reason or another–graduations, promotions, weddings, births, and personal goals and achievements met that others will notice and celebrate. But as we are recognized and applauded in these important life moments, may we never lose focus of our Father. Let’s strive to see Him in the midst of distractions that would try to obstruct Him from our view. Because, as many things as there might be for us to take pride in, they all dim in comparison to the joy and beauty of knowing God and knowing that He has claimed us as His own. That is what we should really boast about.

But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 9:24 ESV