Are you omphaloskeptic? Do you engage in omphaloskeptical behavior? The highbrow definition of omphaloskepsis is the contemplation of one’s navel as an aid to meditation. So, are you a navel-gazer? Do you tend to focus on yourself and be pretty self-absorbed?
Before you start throwing rotten tomatoes at your screen hoping to reach the author, consider this: We are all omphaloskeptic by nature. We all pay attention to self. Such focus runs from the negative extremes of narcissism and selfishness to the healthier focus on self-care and self-preservation.
Parenting under “normal” circumstances is a difficult task requiring constant vigilance and care. Parenting exceptional children, especially children with physical/mental/behavioral challenges is, well, beyond difficult. It can be exhausting to the point of near impossible.
One danger such parents face is to become so inwardly focused on the overwhelming circumstances of all that is going on in their home and in their own hearts that self-pity and despair become default emotions. Parents need an outlet – somewhere else to look, someone else on whom to focus.
Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. (Hebrews 12:2a EHV)
Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Sounds like an impractical suggestion in a world that demands immediately applicable principles.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we’re also focusing on his Word. There we find many truths and comforts that apply to the daunting task of parenting under challenging circumstances:
1) My identity. Who I am in Christ is determined, not by who I am or by what I’ve done or failed to do, but by what Christ has done for me in making me his own child.
2) My child’s identity. My child, too, is a member of God’s family. Holy Baptism declares God’s amazing grace in his/her life.
3) My purpose. God’s Word speaks extensively about why we’re here: to glorify him, to use our God-given gifts, to serve others. If you are a parent, God has given you this specific, blessed purpose (among many others). In fact, God gave you your specific child(ren) that you might raise them in the faith.
4) My child’s purpose. Everything in #3 applies to your child as well. Your child(ren) was given to you that they might glorify the God who created and redeemed them.
5) Strength for the journey. God’s Word is filled with promises and encouragements that offer strength for your life’s journey. Many Psalms read like personal prayers asking for divine guidance and strength. Those same Psalms provide the very strength we need (e.g., Psalms 1, 23, 27, 46, 91, 103)
6) A glimpse of the final reward of grace. The apostle Paul speaks of this quite confidently: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12b-14)
7) The promise of God’s presence. This correlates strongly with #5. A most powerful promise that God makes repeatedly is that he will be with you. Check out Psalm 23:4, Philippians 4:13, and Matthew 28:20 (Jesus: “I am with you always”) among many others.
Life offers plenty of distractions, frustrations, and disappointments that tempt us to keep looking inward and downward. Instead, gaze upon Jesus and his Word with such intensity that nothing distracts. Like a sailor setting course in the storm, or a runner pushing toward the finish line, fix your eyes on Jesus. Fix your eyes and heart on his cross, his resurrection, his life, his Baptism, his body and blood. That’s where life is. That’s where forgiveness is. That’s where he is…for you.
Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. (Hebrews 12:2a EHV)
by Stephen & Heidi Luchterhand