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We are now on “final approach” – our last 24 hours with Oliver living with us.  Tomorrow morning our daughter and son-in-law will arrive to take him home again.

I am now of the conclusion that “God the Father” isn’t that at all.  Fathers have things to do, people to see, jobs to keep, a house to look after and all those “manly things” fathers are and do.  Forget gender.  A father can be as much a woman as a man.  Father and mother isn’t gender specific, it is a role we assign or take.  A role we need more than a child needs.

Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:1-7

No health and safety here.  Trampling each other not Jesus’ problem to sort out.

“Fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.”

In training a colleague into the finer points of the job I have done for many years, we are at the stage of “no beating yourself up”.  Just as a child learns by not getting something right time after time, so “experience” is gained by making mistakes and fixing things.  A child has tantrums and paddies.  That is a release of frustration.  But a child does not naturally give up easily.  Does not condemn his or herself naturally for not doing whatever thing is being attempted first time and very time.  We learn that.  We learn that the world around us expects us to get things right first time and every time.

Like God the Father.

“Fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.”

I know only one who has that authority over me.  I have that authority over me. I have the authority to beat myself up, to condemn myself.  And there are many who will encourage that.  Many who will tell me I should and must.  But only one who has authority over me.  Me myself I.

These past five days have been different.  As a parent “days” are much the same.  As a father “days” are so often the same.  Not enough sleep.  Too much to do.  Money to worry about.  A job to keep and children to raise and a wife to try and stay in touch with.  A routine that needs to keep routining.

Yet little Oliver has been different every one of these five days.

He doesn’t know what routine is yet.  He hasn’t been taught.  And as a grandparent with only five days of living with Oliver … I see and hear and sense and feel that passing of time and “different days” so much more than I ever did as a father.  I now know that he likes his tummy rubbed gently rather than being held and rocked all the time – sometimes.  That he likes a game before bed and then being slowed down – sometimes.  That he sleeps for 8 hours – sometimes.  That he does this or that or the other – sometimes.

Oliver lives each day to the full and is guided by “Me Myself I”.

And that will be taught out of him as he becomes a decent member of society, contributing and conforming as we all must.

“Fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.”

More and more I wonder if the bible is just a really great piece of non-label-non-gender-non-role-specific-anything.

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