Train up a child
in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
I am really not ready. Yeah, we have prepared for these days, worked
hard, raised our kids with as much wisdom and direction as we have had. But I am still not ready.
This will be my final post for this week because
tomorrow our middle daughter Ruth moves in to her college dorm in Williamsburg,
Virginia at the College of William and Mary, a 4 hour drive from our home. Julie and I will be in parent/family
orientation for the next couple days. I
am still not ready for this.
Last year at this time we were helping our oldest,
Rebecca, move in to her dorm at Ferrum College, a 30 minute drive from our
house. Rebecca has done well, worked
full time this summer with the catering department at the college, and she
recently moved in to her new dorm. She
is now a senior seeking her bachelor’s degree in accounting. We are super proud of Rebecca, and we are
praying for her, her boyfriend Josh (who is in the Army) and for all God has
for them in the future.
That still doesn’t mean that I am ready for
this. Ryan our youngest is in 8th grade
and is marching in the high school band.
He is doing very well. My awesome
wife Julie just began her new job as a first grade teacher at the primary
school near our house. Pray for Julie as
this has been stressful and very busy.
But that still doesn’t mean I am ready for the rest of this.
Ruth will be the furthest away. She will not have a car with her. Her roommate seems to be a great young lady
from northern Virginia. The community
and college life in the area makes it an excellent place to learn and grow. She is ready and tells us she is ready. That doesn’t mean I am ready.
That is why I have to lean on the one who will take
care of our daughter much better than I can.
God is her hope and mine, but I am still not ready.
When I am not ready, I have to remember that God is
always ready, and our God is always in control.
We have done our best to see that our children know and trust God and
are ready to make good decisions.
Maybe this is why I wrote earlier this week about
emotions and listening to the voice of God.
Not maybe but definitely. That
still doesn’t mean that I am ready to drop our baby Ruth off at college and not
see her for several weeks. This will be
a great experience for her. There will
be lots of learning, so many new friends and more.
My prayer for all three of my children is this…
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
I don’t have to be
ready for this, and in fact, if I am ready, I may not be. We pray for the people and situations that
strain us the most. My kids and family
get most of my prayers. They stretch my
faith, and they also give me the greatest joy.
There will be more
stories ahead, and I am ready to see my kids succeed. My job now is much like it was when God
blessed us with each of them. My job is
to let God work, to trust God and to see what God is going to do next.
No, I’m not ready,
but God is!
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