Monthly Letter from the Pastor

May 2024

Letter from the Pastor

Letter from the Pastor

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation or shadow due to change. -James 1:16-17

A few days ago, as I was helping my son, Ezra, get ready for bed, I was reminded of
the passages that we have been looking at in our sermon series through the book
of James. Ezra is fairly independent when it comes to getting ready for bed at this
point. Normally, I just have to help him remain focused because when he is tired
he tends to lose focus easily. I was in his room, waiting for him to finish brushing
his hair and teeth in the bathroom, when I heard a loud crash followed by a huge
“ouch!” I rushed into the bathroom to see what had happened. I took in the scene
all at once. Ezra was laying on the ground next to a small stool that we keep in
there with the hairbrush still in his hand, holding his elbow and wincing. I knew
immediately what had happened, he was trying to see his hair in the mirror while
he was brushing it and fell off of the stool. There is one major detail that I have left
out of this story: Megan and I have repeatedly told Ezra not to stand on the stool
because it is too small for him and he might flip off of it.
After I made sure Ezra was okay, I asked him what had happened. He told me that
he was leaning to see his hair while brushing and the stool came out from under
him and he fell and hit his elbow. “I’m just so clumsy when I am tired,” he said. I
then reminded him that we have repeatedly told him not to use the stool and
would be glad to help him see his hair in a different way. His response floored me:
“I know you told me that, maybe I should listen to you more.” I realized in that
moment that the same way that I see Ezra is exactly how God sees us. He gives us
the good gift of the law which is for our protection and good, and yet many times
we forget or fail to listen to what God has told us to do. Maybe we should take the
advice of a six year old boy and “listen to God more.”