“Crazy Kids”

by Kainoa Fukumoto

My kids often drive me nuts. The worse is when all three decide to throw tantrums at the same time. Those are the moments I go searching for that bottle of whiskey I must have stashed somewhere. You don't need to have kids to realize that life can be crazy at times. And truth be told, it's in those moments that the true test is given--how do you handle it?

There's a story in the Gospels about Jesus almost nonchalantly drawing on the ground while a mob was gearing up to stone a sinner woman to death. That had to be a crazy moment. Yet, Jesus didn't react in the same way the people were. He calmly said, "he who is without sin cast the first stone." And almost immediately, the situation was diffused.

In another scene, while the disciples are in a boat with Jesus, a storm is raging. The disciples are freaking out because the wind and waves were tossing that boat around like a toy in a tub, and there was Jesus just snoozing away. When the disciples called on the Lord, He basically told them to relax and then told the storm to relax too, both of whom listened to Him.

It's been critically important in my life to take a breath in those crazy moments and relax rather than react. When my kids are driving me nuts, I try to stay calm and relax in the midst of that situation. Then again, I try to do that in any crazy situation. Stay calm and relax. I find that it's less draining and more fruitful. And most importantly, I need to constantly rely on the Lord who is able to calm any storm in our lives.

I am not always the perfect father, but I know that I have a perfect Father in heaven that I can call upon in my crazy moments. My kids may drive me nuts, but I'm sure I drive my Heavenly Father nuts too. And just as I love my kids through it, God loves us through it all as well.

Happy Fathers' Day to all our EPIC dads.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
KAINOA FUKUMOTO
President & Founder of EPIC Ministry