Had a great time with extended family celebrating Rachel’s third birthday today. I can remember when Naomi turned three, and I thought she was becoming a “big girl.” Is she really turning seven this year? I’m very grateful to have such a wonderful family. The best wife and the two most delightful children in the world. No matter what life throws our way, it is always good to have days that remind you of the most important things.
As important as my family is, they must be second-place to God. I’ve been reminded recently that we are not guaranteed to always have our families with us, as difficult as that scenario may sound. While today was a great day indeed, I remind myself that even if I didn’t have my family, I would still have Jesus.
This is something I am always learning. Could I find joy if I lost everything but Christ? I try to avoid considering that reality, for fear that I might just have to face such a drastic loss at some point. I think about people around the world and throughout history who were separated from their family through persecution because of the cause of Christ. How did they manage sitting in a jail cell all alone for the remainder of their life? Did the rest of the family still cling to Christ after they watched their father/husband burned to death in front of their eyes? How? I realize how weak my faith is in comparison.
I’m proud of who Rachel is becoming, even though the things she thinks make her such a “big girl” at three years old make me chuckle inside. It really isn’t about what she can do now, but simply that she’s my daughter. Sometimes, I think I’m becoming a “big boy” for how I’ve grown in my faith, although I’m probably just turning three. Even though I’m reminded that I don’t yet have the faith or maturity of those who have gone before me (key word: yet), perhaps God sees me the same way I see my big girl.
Happy Birthday, “Miss Suck-A-Thumb”!
Love,
“Chief Daddy”
10 responses to “Rachel Turns Three”
I’m not sure if I’d call this entry sweet or scary. Either way, I have to agree with you. I wonder how old I am in “God years”. (I thought I’d humorously compare “dog years” and “God years”. Get it?)
Nice, Tyler! How about sweet and scary? Love the concept of “God years”–you nailed it. Your comment reminds me of a great joke–probably heard it before:
Q: What do you get when you cross an insomniac, a dyslexic, and an agnostic?
A: Someone who stays up all night wondering if there really is a Dog.
Haha!
I don’t know if I think it does any good to wonder about how you will handle bad things happening. I believe that God will not give me more than I can handle, and I have faith that if tragedy were to strike, I would be able to get through it with God’s help. However, I try not to dwell on it. As you said, God has blessed us with a wonderful life and family and I feel like He would want us to be joyful and thankful, praising Him for His blessings, and just enjoying the life we have. There is nothing we can do about the future (well, in a cosmic sense anyway) so we may as well enjoy the present…Love you.
I pledge my head to Heaven for the Gospel.
As I was driving home today, I saw a sign that said “Got Jesus?” My response: “I’m not sure, but he’s got me.”
Haha. Did you just make that up?
Anyways, those pictures of Rachel look so cute. I remember when she was just an infant. Life goes by so very fast. I’ve probably already lived over a quarter of my life and I’ve done nothing but live a sloth’s life.
I like that–stating it like you see it. It’s good to own up to the parts of our lives that we feel are lacking. The good news is: your life isn’t over–it’s just beginning.
My #1 piece of advice to people going into college is: find and get immersed into a solid church–even more than your grades. You’ll be surprised how you stay active, stay strong in your academics, stay strong in God. It’s also the best place to find your closest college friendships–not necessarily the guys in your hall (even if they claim to be Christians).
The best way to make sure you don’t slack off in your walk with God in college is to already not-be-slacking before you go to college. So don’t wait until the fall to take your walk with God up a notch!
Oh, and no, I didn’t make that joke up…but thanks for the credit. 🙂
Well, if we’re giving out advice, here’s my unsolicited advice for Christians heading off to college: Expect that your beliefs are going to be challenged (especially, I would say, if you’re not going to a Christian university but to a school like UA). Go ahead and tell yourself that you are going to have a different outlook and different beliefs than a lot of your fellow students and professors, and that that’s going to be OK. Getting it in my head before I left for college that I was going to face a challenging time in my faith, and being determined that nothing was going to make me lose my faith, helped me out a lot. And like Tim said, finding a good church home is key.
Tyler, you’re too young for a mid-life crisis…believe me, soon when you’re taking all your college classes, and especially if you’re also working somewhere, you will no longer feel like a sloth.
And you’ll be broke. Enjoy!