Today is Father= s Day on our nation= s calendar.

It is a day for honoring father= s.

Speaking as a father, I believe most of us, however, prefer to have the spotlight shine on our children, or our spouses or significant others.

Most of what we do, we do for them.

So, this morning I want to shine that spotlight on our children. Because, while our religion, and most of today= s current religions, speak of God in primarily masculine tones, perhaps children are a better model for us to more clearly understand what God is like. For children view the world differently and often with clearer vision, more perceptive vision, than most of us do after we reach adulthood.

For instance: when we look at a patch of dandelions, we see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over our yard. Children see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When we look at an old drunk and he smiles at us, we see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and we look away. Children see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When we hear music we love, we know we can= t carry a tune and don= t have much rhythm so we sit self-consciously and listen. Children feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don= t know them, they make up their own.

When we feel wind on our faces, we brace ourselves against it. We feel it messing up our hair and pulling us back when we walk. Children close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When we pray, we say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that. Children say, A Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don= t want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy.@

When we see a mud puddle we step around it. We see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. Children sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

Children see the world with open hearts and see endless possibilities.

They see to the heart of the matter with a fresh clarity.

What if that is the way God sees the world?

What if God really does look on the heart more than on the outward appearance?

That is what Samuel learned as he searched for a successor for King Saul. Saul had been chosen the first King over Israel. He had a kingly bearing and was a natural choice: he was tall, handsome, strong and rugged, the best warrior in the bunch. He looked the part of a leader. Initially he was reluctant to assume the role, humility is always a good trait in a leader, but others saw in him the ideal man to be king.

But success in battle did not result in growth in God= s way of leadership. Saul let power go to his head and he disobeyed God by building a statue in his own honor and keeping the spoils of war for himself.

Both God and Samuel regret that Saul was made king over Israel.

So God sends Samuel to Jesse, in Bethlehem, to anoint the person God has chosen to take Saul= s place. There he is surprised that none of Jesse= s seven sons is chosen by God but God reminds him, A God does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.@ The son God chose was the youngest C the least likely and obviously not important enough to invite to the religious ceremony.

What did God see in David= s heart?

He abuses power just as Saul did; he turns out not to be the best father, having difficulty disciplining his children when one son rapes a half-sister and her brother, another of David= s sons kills that first son and leads a rebellion against his father, the king. But always, David confesses his sin before God with true repentance; he acts out of love and compassion for his children; and he follows the guidance and direction of God perfectly, acting always as God leads and not following his own counsel. Though David is a fallible, frail, imperfect human being, he has a heart that earnestly desires to follow God and please God, that is what God sees even in the young boy.

In truth, people grow and mature at different rates and the outward appearance and early results do not always indicate the true nature of a person. Thomas Edison= s teacher said he would never amount to anything and advised his mother to take him out of school. Winston Churchill was admitted to school in the lowest level classes and never moved out of the lowest group in all the years he attended Harrow school. Albert Einstein seemed so slow and dull that his parents feared that he was mentally deficient. Had God given up on working with, inspiring, leading, empowering these men, imagine what might have been lost to our world.

What if God really does look on the heart?

What does that mean for us, today?

First, it can truly set us free. One of the tremendous pitfalls of looking at outward appearances, is that we begin to use those appearances as the measure for success. As a result we tend to over-identify ourselves with work and busy activity in our desire to be successful. We get caught up in the myth that success is what matters, while God is looking for faithfulness in relationship, appreciation for the beauty and wonder of the created world bestowed on us as gift, and compassion and loving generosity in caring for one another.

God is also seeking our trust and obedience. One of the myths of workaholism is that we are in charge, that we control outcomes and that our superhuman effort will lead to satisfaction and the acquisition of all we desire. We forget who we work for. Jesus remembers, even as a child, that his first obligation was to listen to and serve God. A Did you not know that I must be in my Father= s house?@ he asked his frantic family when they finally found the lost boy in the Temple. This single-hearted commitment to his vocation led to many painful conflicts, misunderstanding, and ultimately death. We look at Christ through post-resurrection spectacles, but his contemporaries, especially those who judged him, saw only a deluded troublemaker who rejected the rewards of conformity. Jesus did not cling to outcomes or work tirelessly for success.

When we remember that God looks not on outward appearances but on the heart we can be set free from our workaholic drive for success. This can allow us to find the time to focus on our relationship with God, in a renewing, playful, joyful way.

Our children, again, can help us do that. Watch a child on a playground and you witness a free, easy, joyful being totally present in the moment. Children seek out experiences of release and astonishment with an energy grown-ups have long since outgrown. As adults we view the world as a battleground of good and evil, a testing ground for the soul. But perhaps the universe is really a playground? Quarks cavort, particles zap in and out of being, galaxies fling out their arms. Approach life in this manner and spiritual exercises become less like disciplines and more like child= s play. Chanting is like a children= s sing-song rhyme; prayer to God is like talking to an Imaginary Friend; and obedience to God= s will like playing A Simon Says...do this.@ This does not minimize the power of these practices.

On the contrary perhaps it frees up their power by removing our feelings of burden and resistance. This is possible if we remember God looks on the heart and not on the outward appearance.

Finally, as we remember this, it can begin to help us open our hearts more profoundly to the world. As we do we can become more patient with one another and more compassionate with one another. We can see the possibilities within ourselves and other people for goodness.

Two suggestions of possible spiritual A games@ we can play to help open our hearts.

First, take a picture of yourself, and any significant others in your life, at the age of seven, and display them where you will see them often C by your computer, your dresser, your desk, the bathroom mirror, on the fridge. A simple way to remind yourself that underneath the adult words and the occasional projectiles, we= re all just little children longing to be hugged.

Second, when your heart is closed and clogged with judgement or resentment, say this simple prayer: A O Great Creator, Bless them. Change me.@

All this is possible, if God really does look on the heart, more than on outward appearances.