5. PARENTAL ATTENTIVENESS . . . .

THERE IS ONE ATTRIBUTE OF GOD that not even the best parent can hope to imitate... that is God's ability to be with you all the time. As parents, we just cannot give constant attention 24 hours a day. We are finite beings who can only focus on one thing at a time. Not only is God with you all the time... but He gives you His whole attention.

"LET HIM HAVE ALL YOUR WORRIES AND CARES, FOR HE IS ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT YOU AND WATCHING EVERYTHING THAT CONCERNS YOU" (1 Peter 5:7).

GOD IS CONSTANTLY THINKING an uninterrupted stream of loving thoughts towards you as though nobody else in the world exists. You say, "How does He do that? How can He be personally involved with billions of individuals at the same time?" I don't know , but I know it's no problem for the Creator of the universe. Perhaps the explanation is the speed of His thought. There are 4 1/2 billion people on this planet. God has created things in nature that pulsate at incredible speed. I have heard that the quartz crystal's molecular structure vibrates at the speed of 9 billion movements per second. If God could only think as fast. He could think a loving thought towards you twice every second... without straining His ability to relate to the rest of His children. Who knows how He does it? Just enjoy it! As far as you are concerned, it's just you and God. You don't have to GET His attention... He's already listening. Do not worry about taking His time... it is all yours!

YOUR PARENTS WERE OFTEN PREOCCUPIED with their activities, and sometimes showed no vital interest in the small events of your life... but God is not that way. He cares! He is a God of detail. Why does the Bible say that God has numbered the hairs of your head? Not because God is concerned with abstract mathematics. He's not a computer wanting data... it's just that He's trying to tell us in what detail He knows us and cares about our lives.

A LITTLE BOY HAS WORKED ALL AFTERNOON pounding nails into pieces of scrap wood. He finally emerges from the garage and shows a three-level battleship to mom. He can't wait until dad gets home. Dad is late. At 6:30 a tired, preoccupied man finally arrives. A cold dinner is waiting, and so are the income tax forms. The excited boy proudly displays his handiwork to a daddy who barely looks up from the calculator. Daddy never looked, never appreciated, but God did. Father God ALWAYS looked, ALWAYS took delight in the work of your hands. He's your real Father, always will be. Don't ever resent the failings of your human parents. They are just kids that grew up and had kids. Rather...