Friday Faith and Family Fun: Kidnapped!

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. -Hebrews 4:12

Welcome to Family Faith and Fun Fridays! As the week winds down and I anticipate more family time over the weekend, I often ask God for one good idea that will enable me to bring the Word to life and bring our family together. Usually, the activity overflows out of something the Lord has been teaching me through His Word during the week. I’d like to invite you to join me and my family in the adventure. Sometimes I’ll post things we’ve tried; other times I’ll post an idea in the works. If you’ve got thoughts to add or suggestions on how to adapt or improve the activity, please don’t hesitate to comment. Enjoy!

This week as I pondered all the ways that I destroy my own wonder by seeking to KNOW every detail of God’s plans, I suddenly remembered one of my kids’ FAVORITE family nights from long ago. Of all the crazy things we’ve done over the years, this spur-of-the-moment event still elicits great nostalgia and noisy story-telling.

 Back in the days when we had only two children- a two and a four-year old- I heard an author/father speaking about family fun on a Focus on the Family radio broadcast. This man shared that his children’s best memories from their childhood days all centered around “unexpected fun.” Impromptu trips to the ice cream store, late night star gazing that happened AFTER bedtime, and pillow fights that began in the master bedroom and spread through the whole house were treasured memories once his children were grown.

This author spoke about the power of surprise and how we as parents should raise children to embrace the unexpected rather than fear it. Wisely, he explained that a thriving faith life is often marked by a willingness to follow the Lord down “unexpected paths.” He cited Joseph, Paul, and Peter as just a few examples from scripture that support this thesis.

With that message fresh in my mind, I decided to “kidnap” my own children right at bedtime one night. With a reluctant husband as my accomplice, I sent Luke downstairs in his pajamas to retrieve something for me from the laundry room. When Luke rounded the basement corner, Rob threw a blanket over our unsuspecting son’s head and tossed him in the mini van. The blanket was exchanged for a blindfold and our preschooler was buckled into his car seat.

Next, Lizzy was sent to check on her missing brother and a subsequent squeal confirmed that she, too, had been captured. With our “victims” in tow, Rob and I slipped into the front seat of the van and announced that we were heading to an undisclosed location. Our blindfolded children giggled and Luke asked, “Does this mean we don’t have to go to bed by 8:00 tonight?”

To the delight of our kidnapped kids, Rob drove in zigzags and made impressive “revving” noises with our uncool mini van’s engine. We grooved to crazy nursery rhyme tunes blasting on the radio and finally arrived at our favorite ice cream joint where we duly removed the bandannas covering our passenger’s eyes. After splurging on double dips, we headed to the park to swing beneath the stars.  As we drove home far past bedtime, I asked the kids what they’d thought about our evening fun.

Luke summed it up when he said, “It was AWESOME. I mean, I thought I was just going to bed, and then I ended up on an adventure instead!”

As we pulled our van into the garage, I questioned, “Why didn’t you fight Dad when he tossed that blanket over your head and put you in the van?”

Luke cocked his small head and looked at me with a thoughtful expression. “Well,” he replied, “I know Dad wouldn’t ever hurt me or do something to make me sad. And  I ALWAYS have fun when I’m with him. So, even though I didn’t know what we were going to do, I figured if I was with Dad it was gonna be great!”  Humbled, I realized that the unexpected fun held a timely lesson for a mommy learning day by day to trust her Heavenly Father!

After carrying my sleeping toddler to her crib, I tucked my happily exhausted son into bed. Gently, I explained that our crazy night of surprises was a reminder about trusting God.  “If you hadn’t trusted Daddy, you would have missed a lot of fun, wouldn’t you?”

My sleepy boy nodded. “So if God ever wants to lead you somewhere you weren’t planning on going, you’ll have to remember this fun night. Then you can trust that God has something really great planned for you even if you don’t know what it is.”

“Yeah,” Luke agreed. “‘Cause God’s a lot like my Daddy, only BIGGER!”

I’m not sure what our weekend holds, but it just might contain a minor kidnapping. I can’t think of a better way to ransom some unexpected fun! How about you? Got any blindfolds lying around?

The Overflow:  We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails. (Proverbs 14:21)