Thursday, August 24, 2006
We Need Children
You’ve heard it said before that children need us--that they’re helpless and dependent on who we are. But, I say to you, adults need children. We need them because they model faith, trust, innocence, and a thousand other things that the older we get, the more we grow, the less we remember what is "real".
Jill is now out of our house and living on her own. We took her last week and dropped her off at Baylor. It was incredibly exciting for her and that’s what I wanted. She’s crazy and loud like me. When it was time to leave, we prayed, hugged her, and eased out of her dorm room. We weren’t 10 feet down the hall when, from behind her door, we could hear a loud shrill "Finally!" Nikki and I grinned at each other.
Now that my "nest" is empty and there are no birds chirping at my feet, I find myself always looking toward the noise of birds chirping! We have a Learning Center for children at our church. I like quiet when I work--as much as possible. When it gets loud I make sure the doors are closed so I can concentrate--I have one of those ADD things. This past week, I’ve left the doors alone.
The first 20 years we grow up--the next 20 we’re still growing up but we’re helping our kids grow up, as well. Then, we reflect the rest of our life about what growing up is all about – we’ve just spent 40 to 50 years growing up ourselves, or someone else.
Father, thank you for Ben, Jill, and Ti. They all think they’re now out on their own and they’re grown up. You know, God, they still have a lot more growing up to do. Other than provide counsel and insight when asked, there’s not much left for my parenting. What growth happens now, happens from the skills I’ve taught them about observation, discernment, and transparency. Help them grow themselves through You and in You.
Jill is now out of our house and living on her own. We took her last week and dropped her off at Baylor. It was incredibly exciting for her and that’s what I wanted. She’s crazy and loud like me. When it was time to leave, we prayed, hugged her, and eased out of her dorm room. We weren’t 10 feet down the hall when, from behind her door, we could hear a loud shrill "Finally!" Nikki and I grinned at each other.
Now that my "nest" is empty and there are no birds chirping at my feet, I find myself always looking toward the noise of birds chirping! We have a Learning Center for children at our church. I like quiet when I work--as much as possible. When it gets loud I make sure the doors are closed so I can concentrate--I have one of those ADD things. This past week, I’ve left the doors alone.
The first 20 years we grow up--the next 20 we’re still growing up but we’re helping our kids grow up, as well. Then, we reflect the rest of our life about what growing up is all about – we’ve just spent 40 to 50 years growing up ourselves, or someone else.
Father, thank you for Ben, Jill, and Ti. They all think they’re now out on their own and they’re grown up. You know, God, they still have a lot more growing up to do. Other than provide counsel and insight when asked, there’s not much left for my parenting. What growth happens now, happens from the skills I’ve taught them about observation, discernment, and transparency. Help them grow themselves through You and in You.
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