I have long held the belief that parents are the craziest people on the planet, followed closely by grandparents (who are in fact parents..). I first stumbled upon this discovery during my days as a youth minister and when my wife began teaching in the public school system. Since then I have discovered what a genius I am. Let’s face it…parents are nuts.

I can’t tell you how many Senior Sundays at church I’ve been to where the strongest, toughest dad you’ve ever seen will get up in front of a crowd to brag about his graduating teenage daughter, only to break down in uncontrollable sobs. Crazy. I’ve had parents sit in my office overcome with tears and worry, not for themselves, but for the spiritual well-being of their children. Insane. And then there are those ball games. Oh boy. This is where my theory really proves to be true. Think about the craziest, loudest, most obnoxious person you’ve ever heard yelling at a referee, and I guarantee you that he or she is a parent of someone on the field. Moms and Dads who coach their kids are my favorite to watch. They always work real hard to remain level headed and even keel, giving balanced encouragement and criticism to all members of the team. Until suddenly their kid gets the ball. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen it, too. Dare I say that some of you might be guilty of it? “TAKE IT TO THE HOLE JOHNNY! GET IN THERE AND SCORE! WOOHOOOOO!!!! Man those are my favorites. Talk about some real psychos!!

Yeah for the longest time I didn’t get it. I would look from afar at this crazy group of people and wonder what made them tick. All the crying, and the over-worrying, and the insane cheering and whooping and hollering. What is wrong with these people? I just didn’t get it. And then I became a Daddy. I have seen the light and the scales have fallen from my eyes! I have officially joined the Crazy Club. I won’t have to wait for my daughter’s Senior Sunday to become a blubbering idiot. I’m already there. Every time she hurts, it kills me. Darn it all, I even tear up when she laughs at me. Man am I in trouble! There’s also that whole worry yourself sick about your kids thing. Guilty. I know worrying isn’t good for you and all, but man you just can’t help it you know? The scary part is that she’s not even crawling yet. Yeah go ahead…laugh. I know…I know….I don’t even know what worrying is yet. My daughter has obviously never played team sports, but I’ll tell you this. She’s a champ and she’s better than your kid. You’ll see. Oh man. I sound like a real wacko already.

There’s also one more thing that daddyhood has made clear to me. Now pay attention because I think this might be important. There have been several instances in my life where I have struggled to comprehend how God can love man. Yeah some people are more likable than others, more pleasant and fun to be around. Some are just genuinely good people. Some are nasty as can be. But even the best of us are prone to depravity, and if you hang around anyone long enough that monster undoubtedly rears its ugly head. At our best we are sinful, imperfect beings and left to our own devices we will always fail. How could He love us? Why would he send his only Son to die for such wretched creatures? I get it now! We are His children and there is nothing He wouldn’t do for us! He loves us no matter how good or how bad we are, just as us crazy parents love our own children unconditionally. Not only that, but He lets us choose. You see, as much as God loves us, we aren’t required to love Him back, unless of course we want to be with Him forever. If we choose to be with Him (and who in their right mind wouldn’t?) then we show Him our love by obeying His will. Not always easy for sure, but nothing worth while ever is. Being a Daddy is not easy and I know it won’t get easier, but the joy it brings is indescribable. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Now that would be crazy!