Shout Out

Like alot of mornings I'm thinking mostly about my relationships with my children. I mean, God put 6 other lives in my life for me to influence. What a joke that was. It seems only yesterday that I thought Jesus was just hanging out around me waiting for me to include him when I needed him. Its amazing how my view of Jesus has been so strongly echoed in my older children's view of me. "Dad, don't bother me unless you have a blessing or unless I have a crisis." or "So what if you just learned one of the most valuable bits of wisdom you've ever heard in your life, it doesn't affect me NOW so keep it to yourself." or "Who the heck cares about all the stuff in the Bible, it doesn't make this pimple go away like the antibiotics that the dermatologist prescribed that you won't let me use unless my whole face looks like an add for clearasil"

If you really want to know how Jesus feels about you raise a teenager to adulthood. That is one way you can appreciate the depth of that love in spite of the ways we break his heart.

Thank you God for teaching me that I'm not living for today or for popularity or to be liked. You created me to love. You created me to love you above all others but to love others regardless of my own needs. They are not the pitcher from which you've called me to drink. They are not the living water that you've promised. They are only part of the story. Even if they think the story is "stupid and boring".