Our family went on a camping vacation to northern Michigan in July.  It was a great getaway for our family.  Lots of memories were made and lots of family bonding took place.  On the way home, we took a break from camping and stayed the night in a hotel for the evening.  After 7 nights of camping, a hotel never felt so luxurious.

While there, we spent some time at the pool, and I witnessed two scenarios.  Both involving fathers and their children.  And both times, the dads were sitting in a pool chair, and their children were swimming.  And both times, the children would call to their dads, ‘Daddy, watch me.’  ‘Watch me, Daddy.’  And then they would proceed to show their dads how they could hold their breath, or swim across the pool, or do a flip under water.  As a father of two, I’ve heard this from my kids before as well.  Not just with pools, but in a variety of situations.  ‘Daddy, watch me.’  ‘Watch me, Daddy.’

It got me thinking of our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  For those who are in Christ and know Jesus as Lord and Savior, one powerful truth is that we are adopted into the family of God, and God no longer remains just Creator and Judge, but our Father.  A perfect Heavenly Father who cares for His children, and who loses no child.  Knowing God as Father radically changes your identity and who you live for ultimately.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  Colossians 3:23 says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

The point of these two verses, and the whole of Scripture…walking and living as a Christ follower means that we no longer live to please ourselves or others.  We live to please our Father in Heaven.  We live for His glory, honor and praise.  We live so that our entire lives, public and private, would point to a higher, greater purpose than simply today or our own name.

Much like a child in the pool saying, ‘Daddy, watch me,’ in order to show their dads what they could do, in a sense, we say to our Father in Heaven, ‘Daddy, watch me.’  Watch how I live for you.  How I love that person, show compassion, raise my child, love my spouse, serve others, give generously, work my job, and on and on it goes.

Don’t misunderstand me.  I’m not saying we are saying ‘Daddy, watch me’ so that God can see how awesome we are.  Instead, all that we do is empowered and enabled by Him.  It is by grace we have been saved, and it is by grace that we live, serve, and love.  ‘Daddy, watch how I live my life for you, because all I am and do is because of you.’

Now here is where this analogy breaks down…we don’t have to try and get our Father in Heaven’s attention.  He is always watching over us.  (Psalm 121:5-8).  He never leaves or forsakes.  He doesn’t lose track of a child.  He is both the God who numbers the stars, and knows the number of hairs on our head.

One of the dads at pool was, to put it lightly, disengaged.  He was more interested in his phone, than his children in the pool.  When they called for his attention, he eventually responded…after much repetition of ‘Daddy, watch me.’

I’m grateful that in our relationship with our Heavenly Father, we don’t ever have to worry that He has lost sight of us, or that we have to nag for His attention.  Instead, we are freed up to live knowing He is watching over us, enabling us, and giving us the power and desire to do what pleases Him.

So this week, whatever you do, do it for His glory.  Do it for your Father in Heaven, who is watching, who delights over you, who loves you infinitely more than you can imagine, and who is worshipped by the way we live for Him!