Children of God

I’ve been thinking about my kids a lot lately, and looked up just a few of the many scriptures that talk about children, and applied them to my 5 “kids”, now 29-51!

Valerie was first, and we thought: “…you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8). She was a head-butting kid, our most rebellious, and it took her 28 years to figure it out, but now she is a professional CPA (partner in the firm) and a Pastor’s wife! Full circle to make our hopes/dreams come true. Mother of 4 of my grandkids, grandma to all 4 great-grandkids, and a beacon of His light. Little 4-yr old Katie is one of these, and is the one who gave her heart to Jesus this year! Hallelujah!

Karen was next, and I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Mark 9:36, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me…”, and welcomed her into her earthly family. She has been on several prayer lists, for her anorexia and for her soul, and we still pray – she is a precious child, soft-hearted, great mom of 3 more grandkids, and I pray for an angel to touch her some day! I want to see her restored to the blonde beauty who, at 16, hung with the dark-haired Teenage Miss California, and many male necks were broken taking snapshots in their minds, just before their hearts broke as well... (back in the day, girls knew the word "NO")

Mike was our first son, is now 45, and lost in almost any way you can imagine. Injured recently, he has been on constant prayer-lists, and IS recovering physically, and may be forever changed mentally as a result of the brain bleeding that went along with the concussion – we pray for multiple miracles here. God has known all about Mike for all-time: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” (Jer. 1:5). He is a survivor, but has never really lived, as we at the church have. Keep praying for this soft-hearted man; he wouldn’t harm a single creature, but still knows not how to live.

Matt was the 4th of Rita’s and mine, and is a taller version of Mike, married to a sweet little gal in N.Y., pleasant and competent, compassionate to the point of flying out here tomorrow to be with Mike after his release from the hospital in WA. Her parents and Lois and I are all in prayer for these two, as they survive and enjoy their dog, but still need that angel to touch them as well. They need to understand 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be…”. Matt is capable of writing like James Joyce (according to my sister, a professional writer), and has an amazing group of gifts to share... Mindy, too...

Finally, Lois and I have one child, and many of you know Liz (Lois’s only child), the occasional drummer here, and Greg her Ironman husband. We thought of her when we sang “For unto us a child is born” (Is 1:6), one of our favorites from the Messiah. She is the bookend, and you can see that the first and the last are saved, with 3 precious children in the middle. They are considering adoption, and Liz would be such a great mom! She was the only one of the 5 that grew up in a Christian home, as I only played church in my first life.

I have no words of wisdom about all that except that I wish I had been raised as a Christian, as I know that these amazing and special kids at Grace Harbor, no matter what happens to them in college (which I personally think is the most dangerous place in America these days), will all come back, like Valerie, and be His again - forever. Maybe the take-home is that we should all be more proactive in promoting our church school, which is a bright light in a dim-witted world, and a beacon of hope for the future. Let’s all, for sure, remember that they are all (as we still are) in process, and, like a rose, don’t nip them in the bud, expecting them to act like they are fully grown and blossoming. Remember the compassion our parents had (hopefully), the eternal patience that God shows us all, and be affirming in our attitudes to these future stars. Let them live like kids, and not be in such a darned hurry to "grow up"! It's over-rated, and the leaves falter and fall on our flowers.

Humbly and prayerfully thankful, and very misty today,
Ray B

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