Monday, August 15, 2005

The Little Man

Well, today is a big day in the Bishop's home! Jeremiah starts school today. It will be his first day at kindergarten! He will do great, I'm sure, but here it is past midnight and I am still awake. I feel almost as keyed-up as I do the night before a big trip. My little guy is taking his first steps to a "bigger" life.
I remember the night he was born, and I held him in my arms and explained the Gospel message to him. It's something that he knows and believes (even more faithfully than I do sometimes!). As I talked with Caryn about it tonight, I realized this will be the first time in his life that someone else will have a primary place in shaping his world view. Someone else will be investing in him every day. It brought two things to my mind:
1} I need to stay as connected as I can to be sure that he is learning to apply what he hears with a Biblical perspective, and
2} I need to pray for his teacher to communicate truth for my little boy to hear.
Tonight, Jeremiah was running in circles in his room as I tried to get him to bed. He came over, laid down on his bed next to me, and told me that everything would be great. For a moment that I will remember forever, we just laid there on his bed, his head on my arm, and stared at the ceiling. He looked at me and just smiled. He knows something big is happening, he's just not sure what. After he fell asleep, I went back in, and kneeled by his bed. I placed my hands on his head while he cranked out his little version of snoring, and I prayed for him.
Caryn and I have been so deeply blessed by God through our children. Some of you may not know that we lost two children early in our marriage, both of them at 7 weeks into the pregnancy. The same pattern began to develop when Caryn was pregnant with Jeremiah. I remember the Friday that we thought we'd lost him, and Dr. Ashby couldn't see us until Monday. It was a long and silent weekend. But, when we got to Dr. Ashby's office, he did a sonogram, and there was the Little Man's heartbeat, good and strong! He's our miracle child. And now, 5 years later, he's off on a great adventure.
Please join us in praying for him. Pray that he will begin to see school as a ministry field, and a place to live a life that expresses the joy of Christ as only a child can.

1 comment:

Nathan Futrell said...

I'm praying for the kiddo. You and Caryn have done such an incredible job with your two kids up to this point; I pray God increases their love for Him as they see the model of their parents' lives.