Hero to Zero

I have the sweetest collection of love notes from my daughters tucked away in my bible. They were all written when the girls were young and wore blinders to my numerous faults. The notes are really adorable, with drawings of me in various states of basic artistry. Big circle head, and a tiny triangle body. My name is written in big chunky letters with statements of undying love and my state of perfection. Best mom ever!

One of my favorite notes came from daughter # 3 who created an entire series of award notes for Mother’s Day, which she cut into shapes to look like blue ribbons you would win at a county fair. Some of them praised my cooking, some my looks. But the very best one…. praised my bowel habits.

“You poop well,” it said. I laughed uncontrollably over that particular ‘love note.’

These notes are so precious to me because they encourage me when these same daughters start to look at me as if I am a creature that is embarrassing to be seen with. It’s amazing how as a parent, you go from hero to zero in one birthday. Usually the twelfth one.

This phenomenon is not reserved solely for daughters. My fifteen-year-old son just asked me if he could spend the Thanksgiving holiday with a friend’s family instead of ours. His friend’s family has a bigger home and fewer children to fill it, and my son is taking notes on how he upgrades his eating when he’s at their house. To be fair, he is going through puberty and he needs constant feedings, like a newborn baby. He goes where the food is.

It can be an ego-battering experience to watch your child go after other people, parents, and passions and remain secure in your own worth as their mom or dad. This is why I love God so much. Because He has been through the same thing.

When God set the Israelites ( his chosen people, his children) free from Egyptian slavery, He did it in a very unique way. God sent ten plagues, even though He could have wiped the Egyptians from the face of the earth on day one. Instead of rushing the process, God sent plague after plague. Locusts, lice, darkness, death. These punishments were not random.

Each plague corresponded with defeating an imaginary Egyptian god or goddess. ( Chart is courtesy of Zondervan Academic)

For example, when God sent the plague of darkness, He was showing all of Egypt that their sun god, Ra, was defeated. Egypt was a polytheistic society meaning they worshipped many gods, but God was pointing the Egyptians and the Israelites to monotheism – one God.

So after the Israelites are set free from slavery after these amazing displays of God’s uniqueness you would think they would be super grateful, right? Maybe write God love notes with sweet expressions and drawings. Nothing as juvenile as, “You poop well,” but you get the gist. You would think they would praise Him and never forget how He saved them from back-breaking slavery. Worship Him and Him alone. You would think that, right?

Nope.

It didn’t take long before the Israelites forgot about how awesome God is. They whined about how the food was better back in Egypt. ( Must have been some teenage boys in that crowd.) They got bored waiting for Moses ( their Israelite leader) to come down from nearby Mount Sinai. God was busy handing over an instruction manual on two stone tablets for Moses, what we now know as the Ten Commandments. So, in their hunger and boredom, the Israelites decided that there were other gods ( little g) that should get some hero worship time too. When Moses comes down from the mountain, he finds the ungrateful Israelites worshipping a golden cow that they made up from melted jewelry.

Is it any wonder that the very first commandment was this?

And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20: 1-6

I think it’s important to notice how God reminds His children of who He is, and what He did for them. He then proceeds to tell them – ‘no other gods’ – lowercase g. Very simple math – ” I am this, I did this – so you don’t do this.”

If you ever feel as if your value as a parent has gone down – you’re in the best company. Even God went from hero to zero with His own children who had every reason to never forget what a terrible life He had rescued them from.

Remember, you are a child of God as well, rescued from the slavery of sin. Make sure you don’t wander to the little gods of your life – no matter what they may be. Return God to Hero status again.