Of course, we got Cooper the Car Chompin’ MegaWrex. As long as we had the ability to buy it, it was never a question. That goes for most parents; if it is within our power, we would do whatever we could to bring a little joy to our children.
That concept looks different than it did a couple of generations ago. In those days, providing for your children might have looked like a piece of fruit or a full belly. In our current culture of overabundance, where we can provide the basic necessities and seemingly endless entertainment, we often find ourselves in a situation of excess. Having items designed for pure entertainment isn’t necessarily harmful but can affect how we understand what is good and beneficial.
When Jesus references parents, he highlights our ability to provide physical sustenance. Every parent would naturally do whatever it took for their child to eat. We would consider this to be “good.” But that is setting the bar fairly low. Even beastly animals provide for their young. Should we defend this as noble? Providing for your family is natural. Look at Jesus’s words:
Matthew 7:7-11 – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
Jesus provides perfect insight into our lives. Most healthy parents want what is best for their child. If they need food, most will provide that sustenance (I say most because not all parents are what they should be). Yet God is far superior to even those most intrinsic beneficial aspects of our nature. He is the ultimate provider, ensuring that our needs are met. This idea of seeking and knocking is in relation to what Jesus said earlier in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:32-33 – “For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
As much as I know that Cooper wanted the Car Chompin’ MegaWrex, what he desires even more is a solid relationship with his dad. He would trade every toy for playtime with Dad; the same goes for us. God knows what we truly desire. He tells us to seek and knock, demonstrating an intellectual and physical pursuit of God. If we do these things, He will not withhold His relationship from us. God is better than the best parent, and He wants us to know Him, though He is not far from any of us (Acts 17:27). Deep down, He knows what we need is to be with Him- forever.
We imagine we are good. We consider the things we do to be noble and decent. However, compared to God, we are unfit. If I think I can give good gifts, I know that what God provides me is more than I can ever imagine. Even though I think I am a good dad who gives good gifts, I know God is the best father who gives the best presents ever.