Last night, we took the gang to Ocean City, NJ for a beach photo shoot. Now, personally I was upset that I wasn't given enough of a heads up by Jaci in order to lose 80 pounds for the shoot, but we went anyway. So in addition to trying to strategically place the children in front of my fat stomach, we had quite the time getting them to all smile and all look at the camera at the same time!
Of course, it didn't take the kids long to soil their outfits with salt water and sand. After the shoot, the kiddies played on the beach. Sure it was messy and they were in fancy clothes not bathing suits, but sometimes you have to kick back and let kids be kids. Jaci and the kids were frolicking in the surf as I sat on the beach watching them and God began to speak to me about the tremendous blessings these kids are.
Then this mornging, Steven Curtis Chapman and his family appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the tragic accidental death of his 6 year old daughter Maria Chapman. The family discussed their faith in the grieving process and the hope that only Jesus Christ can sustain you with in such a dark time.
As a father of young children, it makes you really think about not just appreciating every second we have with our kids, but also realizing WHOSE they really are. God entrusts them to us for a time, but they belong to him.
God speaks of this truth in the account of Abraham and Isaac and of course, ultimately in Jesus' death on the cross and the silence that God the Father had to maintain during that difficult time. Our children are HIS CHILDREN first and foremost. Whatever pre-conditions or expectations we have on parenting goes out the window pretty quickly. For me that was in the first hours of Noah's life, when Noah peed in my face! Not exactly a hallmark moment.
Yet, that's the life that God has given us. Moment by moment we have the ability to shape these young lives and impart the wisdom of God in their lives. We have this HOPE in Christ that He knows the plans He has for us, but we don't know those plans. There are no promises of a neat and tidy orderly life. Life is messy. Bad things happen to even the strongest of Christians. So often when something like the Chapman family story comes along, we revert back to works-based thinking and ask God why He would allow something like that to happen to a family that does so much work for the sake of the Gospel.
Life (all of it) is a gift. Steven and his family know that they will one day see Maria again in that great big family reunion in the sky. We as parents need to understand the awesome blessing that our children are to us and recognize the source of that gift as the author of all life--Jesus Christ.
So take a moment and kiss your kids. Hug them, sing silly songs, make messes on the beach, embrace the miracle of childhood. Most of all, take the time to pray with them and lead them to be more like Christ with each footstep because you never know how much time you have. As you look at the face of your kids and realize how much they mean to you, remember the sacrifice that God made for each of us and thank him for the time He's given you with your precious little ones!
