God loves me enough to humble Himself to help me and show me the way to Heaven…
The other day my second son started high school.
That very first day of high school is a big deal for any child, but for this little boy – who tends to over think things very much and who certainly has no love for school itself – it seemed a bigger deal than most.
When his older brother started high school a couple of years ago, we were just coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and as a parent we were allowed very little interaction with the school or our children in it. Add to this the fact that my children started catching the school bus to school that year, and you pretty much have a recipe for quite a lot of independence. As such, my eldest son started high school very independently and was able to sort himself out and get into routine in a relatively quick amount of time. And he had to start from scratch. He had to work out how to get his school timetable – schools rather stupidly do not bother printing these anymore and make them available on apps. He had to work out how to get to his classes on time – the school was very much larger than his primary school had been and he had to get to know the campus so that he would not get lost. And he had to work out how to get his work completed to a satisfactory standard – his maths teacher refused to mark his homework and made him re-do it because it was not set out appropriately (and for this I shall be eternally grateful).
But for my second son, there is less independence. He does not need to sort himself out because he has an older brother who can advise him. He has someone who can show him how to set up his timetable, and how to find his way around, and he also has someone who can advise him on the way that different teachers like to see the work and the standard of work that he can expect to get away with.
Now, I know my eldest son does not mind this function, because I myself am an eldest child and as such I used to do much the same for my younger siblings as we were growing up. And I never thought too much about that role as helper. But today I have been thinking about it, because it reminds me of Christ.
You see, Christ is my God and He is also my Brother. And as my God, He chose to come to earth in Human Flesh so that he could help me. He wanted to show me how to get my timetable and where to find my classes and He wanted to show me how to set my work out. And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about my boys. Because without the infinite humility of God I would have no chance of learning how it is that I am supposed to be.
And today I am grateful for the Big Brother that I have – who is God Himself – who shows me what to do because He loves me enough to humble Himself to help me and show me the way to Heaven…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.