Father’s Day weekend is in the books, and around Father’s Day, you usually get asked some version of the same question.
“What do you want?”
What do you want for Father’s Day? What do you want for lunch? How do you want to do the day? Do you want a gift?
My youngest son, Tyler, asked me that this weekend. “Hey, what do you want for Father’s Day?”
And I think I surprised him a little when I said, “You don’t need to get me anything.”
It meant a lot that he wanted to give me something. I love that. But as I sat with the question, I realized I didn’t need a gift from Tyler to enjoy being his dad.
I just love being his dad. His love means more to me than anything he could buy.
And that moment stayed with me, because I think I can forget that same truth in my relationship with God.
God doesn’t need a gift from me. He doesn’t need my stuff. He doesn’t need anything material I could offer Him.
What He wants is my heart.
Matthew 22:37 says, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
That’s what He asks for.
Not some impressive gift. Not something I can wrap up and hand Him. He wants me to love Him with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.
And when I think about it that way, it makes the invitation feel really personal. God wants my love. He wants my heart. He wants a relationship with me.
That is the gift He wants most.