This entry is what I've written for our church's monthly newsletter "The Builder".
“Rock a Bye Baby, In the Tree top….” You’ve heard that song before, right?
If you’re a parent, it’s possible that you’ve sung it.
I’ve never been a fan of that lullaby. I can remember even as a kid listening to the soothing sounds of my mother singing that song and thinking... “Yeah that would be nice. Sitting in a tree, feeling the wind softly rocking me back and forth, very comforting, but then… Wait! what? The limb is breaking? and Woah, I’m Falling!!!” What's up with that?!?
So, because I’m not a fan of the way that song ends, I chose different songs to sing to my kids. For Ethan, our song was always the theme to “Gilligan’s Island”. It may not seem like a great lullaby. But it worked well for us. For Gavin, I’ve always sung the old Roy Rogers tune “Happy Trails”. 
Now Ethan is 5 yrs old, so his days of climbing in Daddy’s lap to be rocked to sleep are gone. But Gavin (3 yrs) on the other hand, still loves to rock to sleep and he’ll even ask me to sing to him from time to time. But never, not even once, have either of my kids been willing to sing to me when I’ve asked them to. Maybe it’s because they don’t like to sing, or maybe they just don’t feel like they have the ability. I’m not sure. Well, this happened a couple days ago and it made me think about my relationship with God. Too many times I’ve expected him to be there to comfort me , to take care of my needs, or maybe even to “sing over me” (Zeph 3:17). But how often am I willing to do the things he wants me to do. And I’m not even talking about singing. “What, God? You want me to share my faith with this stranger?” “You want me to spend how much of my free time working with a ministry at church”. I’m sure we’ve all experienced times when God has asked us to do something and we felt uncomfortable, unskilled, or inadequate for the task. But, do you think that God would lead you to do anything that he didn’t think you could handle? I’d never force my kids to sing for me. It’s just something I’d like them to see them try one day. I think they’d enjoy singing if they tried it. I wonder if God feels the same way about the things he’s trying to get us to do for Him.
…Till We Meet Again,
-Shawn
Now Ethan is 5 yrs old, so his days of climbing in Daddy’s lap to be rocked to sleep are gone. But Gavin (3 yrs) on the other hand, still loves to rock to sleep and he’ll even ask me to sing to him from time to time. But never, not even once, have either of my kids been willing to sing to me when I’ve asked them to. Maybe it’s because they don’t like to sing, or maybe they just don’t feel like they have the ability. I’m not sure. Well, this happened a couple days ago and it made me think about my relationship with God. Too many times I’ve expected him to be there to comfort me , to take care of my needs, or maybe even to “sing over me” (Zeph 3:17). But how often am I willing to do the things he wants me to do. And I’m not even talking about singing. “What, God? You want me to share my faith with this stranger?” “You want me to spend how much of my free time working with a ministry at church”. I’m sure we’ve all experienced times when God has asked us to do something and we felt uncomfortable, unskilled, or inadequate for the task. But, do you think that God would lead you to do anything that he didn’t think you could handle? I’d never force my kids to sing for me. It’s just something I’d like them to see them try one day. I think they’d enjoy singing if they tried it. I wonder if God feels the same way about the things he’s trying to get us to do for Him.…Till We Meet Again,
-Shawn
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