What's In Your Heart

As parents, what happens inside us when the “givens” we counted on in life are suddenly taken away? We have lost school, sports, work, and even our health. What happens when things do not work the way that they should? This includes purchasing milk or locating toilet paper? What happens when there are no guarantees? Ask anyone when our lockdown will end or how our economy will fare from all of the social distancing and shutdowns.

As parents, what happens inside us when our foundations get rocked?

I’ve heard it said that we are all like tubes of toothpaste. When we get squeezed, what’s inside of us comes out. I know for me, what’s inside has not been pretty. I’ve tried controlling things and self-medicating. I’ve worried, lost my temper, and hurt the ones that I love. But what has come out of that is a hope with a deeper foundation, a humility that recognizes my need for maturity, and a love for simpler, quieter, and previously unappreciated daily graces.

So in the spirit of Capital One, who asks “What’s in your wallet?” I ask “What’s in your heart?” What has come out of you in the last four or five weeks that longs for a hope that can’t be taken away, a trust in something unshakable, and a love that is deeper than what we can control?

To the degree we are able to answer those questions (where our ultimate hope, faith, and love come from), we will pass on something far richer and more beautiful to our kids and to this world— a light that can shine even in the darkest of times.

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced out into the open and shows its true colors (just like a tube of toothpaste). So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:2-4 MSG)