Three Men and a Lady

Boys,

Here is my parental thought for the day. I am so scared to fail you. I'm afraid that I may discipline too hard, or not enough. I'm afraid to give you too much liberty, and I'm afraid to be too protective. I'm afraid to be too demanding, and I'm afraid I won't push you enough. I have the idea of what type of men I'd like you to grow up to be (like your dad and my dad-ultimately like Jesus), but I'm just not sure how to get you there.

Parker, what I see in you is someone who sincerely wants to succeed at whatever task is before you. When you have accomplished a task, whether it be a home run in the backyard, or building a magnificent block tower, your eyes light up and literally glisten. You need praise, and you cherish encouragement, and for that reason you generally try to please others. On the flipside, I am trying to get you to try new things. I can see a fear inside of you that hesitates to undertake a task if you have doubts that you'll be effective. You are a perfectionist, and if you can't do a job right, you don't even want to start (that's me to a tee). I am trying to get you on a two-wheeler, but you are fearful. I can see too where there are other aspects of your life where fear wins out. I wish you could see the power inside you that I see. My prayer for you is that you realize how big your God is and how talented He's made you. I pray that your confidence comes from knowing that God equips you for the tasks He's placed ahead of you. I am hoping that the mastering of the two wheeler, becomes a metaphor for your life. God has tremendous plans for you because He created you. My prayer is that you submit to His plans, and instead of being like Jonah who reacted out of fear, that you act like Jeremiah and respond in faith.

Kenters, what I see in you is someone who is passionate, and won't stop until you've reached your goal. Your goal could be a pop-tart before dinner, ice cream for breakfast, or wearing a pajama shirt with khaki shorts. You are persistent and don't accept "no" for an answer. Now, this can be a very good thing, or if this is left ignored, this can be a fairly destructive attitude. I am trying to teach you to submit to authority, and at the same time encourage your passions to be filtered in the right direction. Boy, you wear me out with the daily battles, but deep down I smile because I know there is a fighter inside of you. On the same level of that obstinate fervor is this highly sensitive and tender hearted boy. You snuggle as much as you scream, and you kiss as much as you kick. My prayer for you is that God arrests your spirit, and that all of the passion and fire inside of you is used to see you through difficult circumstances, and to bring glory to God. When the enemy wants to destroy you and your faith, I am confident that you will fight for it.