It's hard to believe that Jonah is growing up so fast. It is such a joy to see him growing up more and more every day. I say this all the time, but I LOVE being a daddy! It's one of my favorite "jobs" that I have ever had. Better than being a minister, better than being a camp counselor, better than being a bag-boy, hey...even better than working at the Cookie Store! I absolutely love the responsibility of being a Daddy!!
Today, we were at Natalie Ainsworth's birthday party and Jonah was completely infatuated with the big fan they had going to keep a little bit of the heat down. I was watching him closely because I had already told him not to touch. I didn't want him to get hurt. As I was talking to somebody, I caught him out of the corner of my eye sticking his straw into the fan!! I let out a sound that can only be described as the guttural "uanh" that you use when your dog does something wrong. I wanted to get his attention and quickly. He got the picture! Then, I wanted to lean down and tell him how much I loved him and that I was only trying to protect him from getting hurt.
I see that as my role in his life right now. I want to lead him to be the little boy that I know he can be so that he will be able to live his entire life being that person. I've said it before, but I want to follow Christ and tell Jonah to follow me. I want to see my little boy reach his full potential in this world but, more importantly, in the kingdom of God.
HOWEVER, here's the deal about my kid: I think his little heart could lead more people to the kingdom of God in one week than I may be able to in a lifetime. I continually see God working in this little boy's life (and he's only TWO!!). I truly believe that God has big plans for my little boy. It may not be as a minister (boy will I try to lead him away from that one) or as a teacher or as a counselor or anything else you can think of, but one thing I will try to always teach Jonah is that no matter where his life leads him...let God use him there!
At this point in his life, I truly believe that God is developing his heart to be compassionate (you should see the terror on his face when someone else cries), caring (he never passes an open door without wanting to close it...now that's caring), loving (you should see him run to someone's arms), and kind (he truly is a "nice" kid.) I just hope that those qualities continue to develop and that God (and his parents) protect him from developing some of those qualities that are so prevalent in the world today.
I'm the father of a two-year-old. For some of you that know me well, that's a SCARY thought!! However, I'm so glad that I can say with confidence that I don't raise this child on my own strength and knowledge...I'm just going to follow God's leading and then trust him to cover the slack.
Happy Birthday, Buddy...I LOVE YOU!!!!
3 comments:
Precious little boy, precious loving daddy! I can't wait to see both of you growing together in the years to come!
Dan, this reminds me of a quote that I often use and so often think of "While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." (Angela Schwindt) I guess it is actually God teaching us through our children. He finds so many ways to show us His ways. What better than our child (or grandchild).
You've been tagged! Attach a link to the person who tagged you, mention the rules, tell six quirky, yet boring & unspectacular things about yourself, tag six other bloggers by linking to them, and then go to each person's blog and leave a comment letting them know they've been tagged. Have fun coming up with your six!
Post a Comment