Soaking Them In September 26, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Random Musings , trackbackErin,
As I mentioned to you today, one of the things I am learning while you are away is the importance of soaking our children in. What I mean by that is probably plain to you, but I trust it deserves some more words. Giving thanks. Enjoying the small things, even the inconvenient things. Taking note and even laughing at our children’s small idiosyncrasies.
I suppose it all boils down to giving thanks for them and delighting in them. Too often that is not my disposition. It is to my shame that I often find myself viewing them as if they were inconveniencing me. It’s foolishness I realize, but sin usually is quite foolish it seems. Rather than soaking them in, that is, instead of giving thanks for who they are now and enjoying every minute of parenting, I am too often concerned with getting other things done–things which often pale in comparison to enjoying and leading my children.
Of course, I am by no means saying that our whole worlds should revolve around them. The last thing I want to do is create a child-centered atmosphere. After all, I do not want to ruin them! But I think I can still rejoice in them without focusing all my attention on them. And I confess, the balance is tough!
But here we have little three-year-old Abigail with her intense personality and the dude, otherwise known as one-year-old Elijah with a different personality, but intense nonetheless. Here we have these two little children who look to us for virtuallly everything– at least for now. They watch our every moment and in a sense, know or can feel our every emotion. So the last thing I want them to feel is that they are somehow getting in the way of my accomplishing something greater than raising them to the glory of God. Forgive me for my failure here. I have not led you well.
Instead of all of that, I want them to know that their father rejoices in them, that he gives thanks for who they are and who the Lord will one day make them. For isn’t this exactly how we ought to feel about God. Here we are with a Father in Heaven who delights in His children, rejoicing to do them good all His days. And I suppose that our failure to delight in our children the way the Lord delights in us flows from our failure to see God as He really is. As always, it all comes back to our vision of God.
Well, that is enough for now love. I just wanted to write out some of these thoughts for my own soul. It is always good.
Giving thanks for our children,
Joe
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