| It's not even 9:00 am and my heart has already been sent into a state of turmoil. Perhaps it is because I am pregnant that I am letting my emotions get to me this way, but I don't think that is the case today. God has been talking to me today about how children are precious.....in two different ways. The radio station I listen to, 96.3 Star Country, is doing a radio-thon for the American Family Children's Hospital. Although it has been going on for the past two days, I always responded in a somewhat complacent manner. You know, you think about how terrible it must be for those kids and their families to go through such horrible things, but that's about as far as it goes. This morning, I was listening again and a mother came on and told her son's story. For some reason, it really hit me hard that time and I found myself peeking at Isaiah back in his carseat. I had to force myself to stop imagining what it would be like if I lost my precious child, like this mother had. Just like that, God reminded me of what a precious and incredible gift my child is and how he is trusting me to take care of him, and his brother when he arrives. The first thing I did when I got to school was to log on to the website and I made a donation to the children's hospital at the same time saying a prayer for all the children who are being treated there right now and in the hopes that I will never have to bring my children through those doors. If you happen to read this blog before 6:00 pm today, I encourage you to go to www.963starcountry.com and enter keyword "kids" and make a donation. My heart was certainly moved to do so today and I can vouch for the fact that it feels pretty good! My second reminder about how children are precious in the eyes of the LORD was not as....well, gentle. I am subbing at the high school today and sometimes you hear things come out of the students' mouths in the hallway that you wish you hadn't. Sometimes it is just foul language that makes you cringe. Other times it is hateful words about other students, teachers, parents. Today, I was walking down the hall and was privy to a conversation taking place between two girls behind me. Not by coincidence, I am sure, they were headed on the exact path I was, so I got to hear the whole thing. They were talking about the previous weekend and were discussing, in the most casual of tones, the "activities" they had taken part in. Without going into too much detail, I overheard these young ladies, probably no older than sophomores, revelling in their casual sexual experiences with high school boys. One mentioned how she had told her parents she was staying over at a girlfriend's house, only to hook up with the boy. There was a part of me that wanted desperately to turn around and shout, "Don't you realize how precious you are and that you're wasting yourself on this???" Then I started to think again about my children. Although they are boys and I know the subject will need to be approached in a slightly different manner than it might be with girls, how can I teach them from very early on how precious they are to me, to their father, and most importantly.....to their Father in Heaven? How do I keep them from being the boys those girls in the hallway were giggling about? How do I instill in them a sense of worth, a self esteem that can only come from the knowledge that they were created on purpose, that they are loved, and that they are worth so much more than they can ever imagine? Right now, I am worried about things like teaching "No hitting" and blowing kisses. I only need to blink my eyes and suddenly my child will be desperately needing his parents to show him how to be a man. I am overwhelmed by this responsibility and it is my prayer that God will continue to open my eyes to opportunities to teach my children about how precious they really are. |
