Thought of the Day 03.04.09

I feed my children every single day, and usually it’s food at the intersection of what they will like and what will give them necessary nutrition. But the real question which crosses my mind is, “Why, exactly, do I feed them?”

Well, I don’t feed them because I like them. Even if they are very unlikable that day, it won’t cost them dinner. I don’t feed them because they please me. In our house, even disobedient children get fed. I don’t feed them because they deserve it. In a very real sense, my children can’t deserve to eat since they quite literally have no way to earn what it costs to deliver a meal. So why do I feed them?

Because they have a need, because I have an ability, and because we have a relationship. I am their father, and I love them. In other words, they are not in control of whether I give them what they need. They just aren’t that powerful. Nor am I that evil.