Children - Our Legacy
I am attempting to get Colt's baby book caught up. He turns 4 months on Sunday and life is just flying by. One of the pages asked me to write him a letter . . . heavy stuff when you have one page to say something to the future adult your child will become, let me tell you. And it made me focus, not on how to solve the latest crisis that's left him or Riley in tears, not on how many poopy diapers they've had, or what to feed them at the next meal. But instead on who I want them to be when we're done with all of that and the first day of school and their first dates and the first time they get grounded and the day they move out and start life on their own.
What kind of men will my babies make? Talk about the necessity of setting goals! It's not that I hadn't thought about it before. I think of it fairly often, but in passing as I'm telling Riley no for the umpteenth time about shaking his sippy cup until it spews or when Colt screams so hard I worry that he's going to permanently damage his vocal cords. I pray about it, but not like I should. In vague, spiritual terms most of the time with desperate emotion behind it, but not with any true practical approach. It's almost as if I believe that it is something that will either simply "happen" to them or not, and I won't have much to do with it . . . like having wisdom teeth or being a star athlete.
Writing this letter to Colt made me tell him what I wanted which made me evaluate exactly what I'm doing (or not doing) to help him and Riley become those things. I don't know what your goals are for your child - for that matter you may not have any - but Joey and I want our boys to be strong, courageous men. Men who learn to love Jesus early and are never afraid for people to know it. And we want them to spend their lives doing something they enjoy and something that will make a difference. I'm sure if you asked Joey about what he wants he might give you a few more things - a basketball player, a football player, an artist, a hardworker with a penchant for yardwork . . . and I could probably add some of my own - a good student, a quick learner, a teenager who likes to stay at home! But the truth is we both know those are not the important things.
So instead of focusing my time predominantly on teaching Riley his colors or developing Colt's physical strength, I'm challenged to invest more in the men they will become. What attitudes am I teaching? What concepts am I introducin? What behaviors do I reinforce? What example am I setting. These are the truly imporant things.
What kind of men will my babies make? Talk about the necessity of setting goals! It's not that I hadn't thought about it before. I think of it fairly often, but in passing as I'm telling Riley no for the umpteenth time about shaking his sippy cup until it spews or when Colt screams so hard I worry that he's going to permanently damage his vocal cords. I pray about it, but not like I should. In vague, spiritual terms most of the time with desperate emotion behind it, but not with any true practical approach. It's almost as if I believe that it is something that will either simply "happen" to them or not, and I won't have much to do with it . . . like having wisdom teeth or being a star athlete.
Writing this letter to Colt made me tell him what I wanted which made me evaluate exactly what I'm doing (or not doing) to help him and Riley become those things. I don't know what your goals are for your child - for that matter you may not have any - but Joey and I want our boys to be strong, courageous men. Men who learn to love Jesus early and are never afraid for people to know it. And we want them to spend their lives doing something they enjoy and something that will make a difference. I'm sure if you asked Joey about what he wants he might give you a few more things - a basketball player, a football player, an artist, a hardworker with a penchant for yardwork . . . and I could probably add some of my own - a good student, a quick learner, a teenager who likes to stay at home! But the truth is we both know those are not the important things.
So instead of focusing my time predominantly on teaching Riley his colors or developing Colt's physical strength, I'm challenged to invest more in the men they will become. What attitudes am I teaching? What concepts am I introducin? What behaviors do I reinforce? What example am I setting. These are the truly imporant things.
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