It's Too Soon, Lord
When I was a little girl, our family would go to Kentucky to visit my Dad's parents. All the little kids would sleep on the couch bed in the living room of my grandparent's house, a double wide trailer on the side of hill. My Dad, the oldest of seven children, would get up early and have coffee with one or more of his brothers. I loved waking up in my grandparent's house. Rather than get up right away, I would lay there quietly and listen. I closed my eyes so I could tell which voice was my Dad's. I don't know why but it was important for me to know to which voice one I belonged. It was tough because my Dad and his brothers sounded so similar but I would eventually be able to pick out my Dad.
Fast forward thirty something years...I woke up hearing Jim talking in the kitchen. As I lay in the bed, I strained to hear who he was talking with. As the memory of my Dad and his brothers flooded my brain, I could have sworn he was talking to himself. Did Jim's Dad come over? No, it wasn't deep enough. When I finally caught a few of the words the other person was speaking I realized that it was my son, Jordan. Really, could it be? I know he's growing up...he's been making jokes about his voice cracking for months now but how could I mistake Jordan for Jim?
Then yesterday the sheer reality of it all came crashing in like the Florida waves I used to swim in during the years I lived there. The phone rang and Jordan answered the phone. I heard him say, "Uh no, this is Jordan." Then he turned and handed the phone to Jim. I asked him if the caller thought it was his dad and he turned and grinned at me as he said "Yeah" a little too enthusiastically for my tastes.
It wasn't until later in the day that I realized how little time Jim and I have left with Jordan. In just three and a half short years, he will likely be gone to college, likely in another town. Ever since he was a newborn, I've know how long I had to rear him, to show him what I know, to tell him about the Lord. But eighteen years seem like such a long time...until now. "It's too soon, Lord." I prayed desperately.
Where did the time go? Yeah, I know it's not over yet, and on certain days I think we still have a lot of work to do. And there's three more children right behind Jordan that still need raising. But I thought at this point in my child-rearing I would be more ready to accept the future; that I would feel like I had done my job; and that I wouldn't doubt myself. If only I could stop time.
But since I can't, I must rely on the Lord and his wisdom to maximize the time I have left not only with Jordan but all my kids. Thankfully there are a wealth of scriptures from which to glean parenting tips. And a myriad of Biblical examples of how to parent...and how NOT to parent. Thank God, I don't have to do this alone. Not only do I have God, I have a wonderful husband, too.
So, maybe that mistaken identity was just the wake-up call I needed. Thank God.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
Fast forward thirty something years...I woke up hearing Jim talking in the kitchen. As I lay in the bed, I strained to hear who he was talking with. As the memory of my Dad and his brothers flooded my brain, I could have sworn he was talking to himself. Did Jim's Dad come over? No, it wasn't deep enough. When I finally caught a few of the words the other person was speaking I realized that it was my son, Jordan. Really, could it be? I know he's growing up...he's been making jokes about his voice cracking for months now but how could I mistake Jordan for Jim?
Then yesterday the sheer reality of it all came crashing in like the Florida waves I used to swim in during the years I lived there. The phone rang and Jordan answered the phone. I heard him say, "Uh no, this is Jordan." Then he turned and handed the phone to Jim. I asked him if the caller thought it was his dad and he turned and grinned at me as he said "Yeah" a little too enthusiastically for my tastes.
It wasn't until later in the day that I realized how little time Jim and I have left with Jordan. In just three and a half short years, he will likely be gone to college, likely in another town. Ever since he was a newborn, I've know how long I had to rear him, to show him what I know, to tell him about the Lord. But eighteen years seem like such a long time...until now. "It's too soon, Lord." I prayed desperately.
Where did the time go? Yeah, I know it's not over yet, and on certain days I think we still have a lot of work to do. And there's three more children right behind Jordan that still need raising. But I thought at this point in my child-rearing I would be more ready to accept the future; that I would feel like I had done my job; and that I wouldn't doubt myself. If only I could stop time.
But since I can't, I must rely on the Lord and his wisdom to maximize the time I have left not only with Jordan but all my kids. Thankfully there are a wealth of scriptures from which to glean parenting tips. And a myriad of Biblical examples of how to parent...and how NOT to parent. Thank God, I don't have to do this alone. Not only do I have God, I have a wonderful husband, too.
So, maybe that mistaken identity was just the wake-up call I needed. Thank God.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
Comments