You bring that baby home from the hospital and you think it will last forever. You think they will stay small, you can’t envision their growing up—you worry, you fear, you have unknowns. Before you know it, they’re toddlers, then they’re in middle school, then they’re graduating….and on and on. I remember bringing Jasmine home from that hospital in Biddeford, Maine, nearly 21 years ago. Today, she works at Publix, pays her own way through her online classes at UNG, helps to lead worship at a local church, impacting many for the Lord. It goes so quickly.
A conversation we had years ago with her, boiled down to this: This is YOUR life Jasmine. Our part to play is support, encourage, train,
teach, help, counsel, provide (if possible). But, Jasmine, this is yours. We have done our part. You need to take your life, seek the Lord for yourself, and see His hand working in our own personal walk and direction.
We need to start early with our children–start early in transitioning them out from under our leadership and guidance. We need to encourage our kids at an early age that it is their faith, their walk with God, their path in life. This happens through our words and actions. We tell them, “God has a plan for YOU–seek it out”. We take action by providing for them opportunities to grow and discover–we are managers, we are facilitators.
Yes, it is tough. Yes, it can be sad. But, our children’s lives are their own–their God’s. We are just stewards–and as time goes so quickly–it is for a short time.
