Orange Coke

There’s nothing as special for a first time father as the time when his child is able to talk and to carry on a conversation. It’s our first glimpse into who they really are and what is rolling around in that little head of theirs...

I remember when my oldest son began to really talk. But one day is especially memorable. We were in my little red Nissan pickup heading off on a Saturday morning to do errands. Now remember Seth was only a little over a year old and just beginning to talk.

On this day I was driving down the back roads of North Carolina to pick up grass seed for our yard that I was determined to grow correctly into the showplace of our neighborhood. It’s a rite of passage in manhood you know. That fine balance of water, sun, fertilizer and weed killer to obtain the perfect yard. True American male. The only problem was I was failing miserably. I couldn’t afford the sprinkler system, in fact, in those days it was almost unheard of to have such a contraption buried in your yard unless you were a golf course. And the blazing North Carolina sun wasn’t helping me out much. Everything I planted seemed to burn up overnight. I was a man on a mission...gotta get that yard right. Maybe more nitrogen and water it a little longer every other day...hmmm.

Anyway, as we’re cruising down the road, Seth blurts out; “Hey Dad, know what?” “What son?” I replied. “I love you.” he responded.

Whoa! An arrow straight to the heart! I about swerved the truck off the road. Three little words from a toddler had just re-inserted me into the here and now from my venture into HGTV unconsciousness. Wow, my son told me he loved me! This was incredible! I didn’t even coax him or make him repeat those words after me. I was beaming, glowing, grinning and purely enjoying the moment. And then it hit…

“Dad?” Seth asked. “Yeah buddy, what’s up?” Here it comes I thought... another wonderful phrase of affirmation of me as a father from my son. “Can I get an orange Coke?” This was his term for the drink “Orange Crush”. And if you’re not from the south you probably won’t understand that everything carbonated falls into the “Coke” heading.

Suddenly, I realized I had probably been slyly manipulated. Outwitted by someone less than two years old. You know what? It didn’t matter. We stopped and bought that “orange coke” at the very next store.

That day has long passed and my son is off in college now making his own way, learning the ropes of everyday life. I don’t know why but I still remember that moment in the truck vividly. Maybe because it was unexpected. Maybe because it touched my heart so deeply. Or perhaps it was the first time I was manipulated and really didn’t care. Either way that day was a defining moment for me. Three little words that I still hold onto from a little boy barely able to talk.

God wants that same relationship with us. Just a little one-on-one time from us lights him up. Conversation, heart felt words… a relationship. Sure, he knows when we’re asking for something what our motivation is. But then again I think he just wants us to spend time with him, to let him into our lives. I wonder what would happen if we spent less time trying to figure out the latest doctrine, pondering and cracking the DaVinci code, or scouring scriptures only to prove our position on some theological argument and just spend time with our father. A relationship. I’m sure we’ll discover who he really is.

And we might just get an occasional “orange coke” along the way.