Why You Should Listen When Your Son Talks About Video Games
Melissa
Sawyer loves video games. He loves playing them, and he loves talking about them.
Now, I am no gamer. Far from it. My idea of a great video game was Frogger on Atari in the 80s. And, the truth is that when he starts to tell me about his most recent conquests on Lego Star Wars or wants to show me the house he just built on Minecraft, my eyes glaze over just a little bit. I start to feel that sinking feeling that I get when Chad drags me into a Best Buy.
But, it’s imperative that I listen attentively when Sawyer talks to me about his video games. Because right now he is entrusting me with something that matters to him and that he is passionate about. And, if I act disinterested, if I tell him that it kind of bores me, if I ridicule him or make him feel like I don’t think this is important, then someday, when he might entrust me with bigger things, he will turn to someone else who has made him feel listened to.
Jesus tells a story in Matthew 25 about servants who were given gold by their master. One of the men went away and buried his bag of gold without trying to do anything with it to make his master’s riches grow. But, other servants came back after having doubled the amount that they were given. To the men who had cultivated and grown their treasure, the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in a few things! I will put you in charge of many things.