let love be her highest goal
How are we here, already? Was this baby girl not born just
yesterday?
In two days, I am sending my oldest child off to school for
the very first time. I waver between counting down the seconds until that big
yellow bus rolls up the street on Friday, and feeling sad that her years at
home with me have ended. As one of my favourite bloggers, Lisa Jo Baker so
eloquently puts it, our children are like “eternity with skin on”. That phrase
has stuck with me, and as I’ve rolled it over and over in my mind, it has made
me think about what I want my eternal impact on her life to be. There are so
many things I desperately want to teach her. So many things I wish I could
protect her from.
As she begins her school years, what I want most of all for
her, above good grades and popularity, is for love to be her highest goal (1
Cor 14:1) Last month, around our exceeding loud dinner table, she told us that
she has decided to follow Jesus. As Christian parents, our biggest prayer for
our children is that they know and love Jesus, and that every day, the
life-changing love that He fills them with spreads to all other areas of their
lives. So, while straight A’s would be nice, I am more concerned with her
character. I pray that she seeks those on the margins out, and welcomes them
in. I pray that she is a champion for the underdog. That kindness and grace
flow from her like water. That giving someone the benefit of the doubt becomes
second nature to her. And when she’s a little older, that she speaks against
injustice and names it for what it is.
Good grades and popularity are fleeting. Love and kindness
are eternal.
So, as my anxious mama heart thinks once again about this
big, looming day, I am reminded of a tattoo a friend of a friend recently had
inked on herself. It reads, “Mine for a time. His forever”. I can worry and
fret all I want, but ultimately, this girl of mine belongs to Him. I’m sending
her into the world praying that it doesn’t dull her sparkle, and that she
carries His love with him wherever she may go.
Great well spoken blog Amy! Exactly how I feel about O. My favorite line "Good grades and popularity are fleeting. Love and kindness are eternal." Amen and while last year O may have made and clicked with many - that's great but the prayer we pray every night with him always includes him being His shining light to all his peers and teachers. Thinking of you mama This friday
ReplyDeleteGreat well spoken blog Amy! Exactly how I feel about O. My favorite line "Good grades and popularity are fleeting. Love and kindness are eternal." Amen and while last year O may have made and clicked with many - that's great but the prayer we pray every night with him always includes him being His shining light to all his peers and teachers. Thinking of you mama This friday
ReplyDeleteWow Amy! I love your blog! As I sit here with my little one for the third time tonight (and it's only 3am)I am reminded that I'm not the oy one who is going through the ups and Downs of motherhood. You are a great writer and a shining light.
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