This past Sunday we were able to publicly share our decision to dedicate our little blessing to the Lord; to say that our goal as the parents of little John Channing is to raise him to the best of our ability in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and according to his God's Word. It was another opportunity to share that he's ours for a short time & ultimately he is the Lord's.
In my current Bible Study I recently read a story that really is thought provoking for parents, and such a reminder of the overwhelming responsibility to be a good steward of the little life that has been placed in our hands.
An excerpt from It's Always Something by Gilda Radner: (Taken from Breaking Free by Beth Moore): **This is an edited version in my own words to make it shorter for here.
A young lady had a dog that was expecting puppies within a few weeks. The dog just happened to get in the way of the lawnmower and her back legs were cut off. The vet gave the family two option after seeing that no damage had been done to the puppies she carried. They could sew the dog up with no difficulty expected in her ability to deliver the puppies or they could put her to sleep. The family decided to sew her up.
So the vet sewed up her backside and over the next week the dog learned to walk. She didn't spend any time worrying, she just learned to walk by taking two steps in front and flipping up her backside, and then taking two steps and flipping up her backside again. She gave birth to six little puppies, all in perfect health. She nursed them and weaned them. And when they learned to walk, they all walked just like her....two steps forward and flipping their backside.
It's cute but after a quick giggle & some thought you realize the depth of the story. Our children, just like those puppies will mock exactly what they see us doing. No matter how far we have come in our walks with the Lord, we all have areas of bondage where we struggle to remain free. Any idols we have enslave us & enslaved parents teach their children how to live in bondage even with the best of intentions to do otherwise.
NEVER would I want to pass on my "JUNK" to this little fella. He makes me want to be a better me. The responsibility of his sweet little life pushes me to want to be a better follower of Christ, a healthier eater, better at exercising regularly....the list continues forever because I know whatever he sees me doing, is what he is going to imitate. I know that despite my best of intentions, I am going to fail. There are areas where I will not succeed, but I want nothing more than to honor God with this precious gift that he's blessed me with.
Train up a child in the way they should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
A young lady had a dog that was expecting puppies within a few weeks. The dog just happened to get in the way of the lawnmower and her back legs were cut off. The vet gave the family two option after seeing that no damage had been done to the puppies she carried. They could sew the dog up with no difficulty expected in her ability to deliver the puppies or they could put her to sleep. The family decided to sew her up.
So the vet sewed up her backside and over the next week the dog learned to walk. She didn't spend any time worrying, she just learned to walk by taking two steps in front and flipping up her backside, and then taking two steps and flipping up her backside again. She gave birth to six little puppies, all in perfect health. She nursed them and weaned them. And when they learned to walk, they all walked just like her....two steps forward and flipping their backside.
It's cute but after a quick giggle & some thought you realize the depth of the story. Our children, just like those puppies will mock exactly what they see us doing. No matter how far we have come in our walks with the Lord, we all have areas of bondage where we struggle to remain free. Any idols we have enslave us & enslaved parents teach their children how to live in bondage even with the best of intentions to do otherwise.
NEVER would I want to pass on my "JUNK" to this little fella. He makes me want to be a better me. The responsibility of his sweet little life pushes me to want to be a better follower of Christ, a healthier eater, better at exercising regularly....the list continues forever because I know whatever he sees me doing, is what he is going to imitate. I know that despite my best of intentions, I am going to fail. There are areas where I will not succeed, but I want nothing more than to honor God with this precious gift that he's blessed me with.
Michele & Cole with us at our Happy Heart Christmas Party.
Daddy picked up Channing's first swingset that was given to us by a sweet family we met here in Spring Lake. Also The Berry's, they are being relocated by the military. Can't wait for our little fella to play on this. We plan to add a little toddler swing to it!
Turkey Day Cousins!
