Have you ever been going about your routine in life, totally oblivious to LIFE when something from out of nowhere stops you dead in your tracks? Well, that happened to me last night. Claude & I were on our way home from New Bern. We were listening to his iPod and a song came on that brought me to tears. The song is called "Hosanna". The 2nd verse of the song says "I see a generation rising up to take their place, with selfless faith, with selfless faith..." It hit me so hard that the next generation IS RISING UP. In less than 2 months, we will be seeing 5 of our youth graduate from high school and go off to college/the air force/the army/etc. I can't even imagine what it will be like without those seniors there every Sunday night. Oh, how much I will miss them. Is this what a parent feels when their child "grows up" and leaves? Even now, as I'm typing this, I am tearing up! I love those kids and I don't want to let them go yet. I have so many thoughts running through my head. Did we teach them enough? Do they REALLY GET IT? Are they prepared to face the world? Are the prepared to face the spiritual war that they will be entering in college? Can they feel Christ's presence? Do they truly know what it is to have a REAL relationship with Him?
With all of these thoughts going on in my head, I hear a voice (maybe the Holy Spirit?) reminding me..."Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
So, parents, some of you may be struggling with "where did I go wrong?" Why is my child doing this? Even though I am not a parent, I understand a little of what you feel like. The Bible gives us a command with a promise! Pray! Pray! Pray! God will keep them! We just have to let go and let Him! (that doesn't mean that I am not going to ball my eyes out at the graduation ceremonies though!) Thank you Lord for giving me "my" kids! I love them and am so humbled that you allow me to share in a small part of their lives!
BTW, we have NO juniors, so I don't have anymore to cry over for 2 years! Unless, of course, our sophomores start inviting juniors!
3 comments:
I am reading one of Karen Kingsbury's books right now and one of the lines I read today was about how a parent worries as their children grow that one day they will go away and you will be 'done' raising them. But then you realize that you will ALWAYS be their parent and will ALWAYS worry and have plenty of reasons to pray continually for them...
As you love those kids, I am sure you will be feeling the same way.
I know I am going to miss them also. We have a great set of teens and I think that they are ready.
Hey I'm graduating too...Mama doesn't want me to though :-)
Meagan
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