I have two children, Samuel and Olivia, they are 7 years old and 5 years old and I love them more than anything else. They are my pride and joy and I am honored that God blessed me with these two little rug rats. I love watching them grow and become more independent. Sometimes I just stand in awe that the God of the universe would see fit to let these two children call me “daddy.” I love seeing the gifts God has given them come out. My son loves to read and is very inquisitive. While, my daughter loves to build with legos and explore the world around her. One of the gifts God has given to my children is something I call “Daddy Radar.” This supreme ability means that if I wake up at all, at any point during the night, for any reason, they are instantly aware and will come in my room and jump on the bed.

It has occurred to me that I might be too loud when I wake up, but I think it is more likely that God gave my children super-hearing that can perceive the sound of my eye lids opening. This radar is priceless on Christmas morning. It is not priceless on a Saturday morning when I get to sleep in and only wake up to use the bathroom. Regardless of when they run in to the bedroom they want the same things. They want to play, cuddle, watch TV, and just simply be with my wife and me in whatever we are doing that does not involve sleep.

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” - Genesis 28:16.

If I am honest, I would say that I am a little jealous that I don’t have the same gift that my children have. I would love to have the radar ability to know when God is moving and to run after God and immediately be in the presence of God. Too often I find myself sleeping through whatever God is doing, either because I am too tired from whatever I was doing or I am just oblivious to what God is up to in the world today. More often than I care to admit I find myself waking up to what God is doing and quoting Jacob in Genesis 28 “Surely the LORD is in this place and I, I did not know it.”

I have found that when I am tired, worn out, or in need of a vacation, it is harder for me to see what God is doing. I have also discovered that if I am overly-busy or extremely-occupied with my own ideas or plans that I cannot hear where God is calling me over the noise of my own agenda. One of my regular prayers is that I will hear God’ voice telling me to go God would use me in places where God is already at work. For that kind of a prayer to be answered I have to stop doing the work I am doing and make myself available to God both in my life and in my calendar.

Discussion Question: What types of things do you need to stop doing so that you can have a better sense of what God is doing?