“THE NUT DOESN’T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE,” so the saying goes. Thus, I should not be amazed when my children respond to life as like their father. It is also said that mimicry is one of the highest forms of flattery, thus I should be greatly flattered when my children mimic me. Take for example two recent courses my two older children have taken.
Krista, who is stationed in Burkina Faso with the Peace Corps, has shaved her head. The reason was because she was losing great clumps of hair due to her malaria medication. She informed me last week that now she actually has less hair than me. Thankfully, she has a good-looking head. You can check it out by accessing her blog at http://kristascribbles.blogspot.com and clicking on “photos”.
Then there is Trinity, my oldest, who is seeking to follow in her father’s footsteps in working with youth. She has a God-driven desire to be involved in youth ministry, but not just anywhere, but right here at Felton Bible Church, the very place I started my full-time ministry almost 30 years ago. Yep, she is our candidate for our youth ministries position.
I never could have guessed that I would have a daughter serving the Lord in the very place I did three decades ago. Nor, would I have imagined that I would have a bald-headed daughter serving in Africa, living in a small village with spiders, snakes and scorpions as roommates. Some would say, “Life is funny that way.” But, I would say, “God is good that way.”
Now what about the other two “nuts from my tree?” Oh, they already constantly amaze me at their giftedness, their zest for life, and their heart for God. God is good that way. Should I be amazed? Not really, for even before each of them were born my ongoing prayer was that God would give them a double portion of His Spirit, and I believe He has, and I am blessed!
You know, it’s not a bad thing to pray for our kids on a regular basis. It is a prayer that I believe God is desirous to answer, and what better gift could be given to us as parents than to see our children grow in the grace, knowledge and strength of the Lord.
So let us pray!