With every passing day I am amazed at the love that grows in my heart for my son. Fifteen months ago, God chose to bless us with the most amazing child. I’m sure that every parent thinks that of their children, but if you ever meet Josh you’ll agree with me. Since becoming a father the Lord has used Josh to teach me many lessons about His love for me.
I love Josh so much, and I only want the best for him. Because of that love I will set boundaries around his life. These boundaries are for his good and protection. I don’t want him to stick his hands in the fire because it will hurt, yet it amazes me that he still chooses to disobey me. The thing is, we do the same to God. He loves us so much, far more than I can ever love Josh. There are things that He told me not to do. Not because He doesn’t love me, but because He does. He wants the best for me just like I want the best for Josh. But His best comes with obedience! He wants me to live a victorious Christian life, but that can only happen if we live within those boundaries. Yesterday I took a much needed day off, and I spent the day with my family at the Georgia Aquarium. We had a wonderful time, but the thing that I enjoyed the most was seeing the joy on my son’s face. I also loved the fact the he didn’t want to be with anyone except daddy. He wouldn’t let anyone, even Pop Pop, hold him. Of course I didn’t mind holding him all day, but this got me thinking. How much more does my Heavenly Father receive joy when we are living rightly before Him and experiencing the fullness of His joy? How much more does God enjoy our delight in Him? How much more does He enjoy the time that we spend with Him?
Being a father makes me a better man! I love how my son adores me, but this also brings great responsibility. Josh wants to be like me. He makes faces like me. He dances like me (which is not very good). He wants to work on what I am working on. Last night before I went to bed, I slipped into his room to look at him as I often do. As I stood over his bed, I thought about how God might use him one day for His Kingdom work. But I also thought of the great responsibility that I have. Josh is my son, but more importantly he is God’s child. I am a just a steward of this little life. I pray that I will live a life worthy of honor so that my son might grow up to become a man of God. I pray that I will not be a stumbling block for my son to trip over. If I fail in my life before God, then my son will more than likely fail. That thought alone spurs me on to be a better man!
There is more that I can say, but I will defer until later. I did want to leave you with a few pictures of my little man! Enjoy!
