"Children are a heritage"

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD...
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!" (Psalm 127:3-5)

Jadon is now over a year old! This little (but rapidly growing) package of grace is indeed a gift from God's hand -- "a heritage," the Bible tells me. Yet as my son turned one, I lamented at how life is so far from what I had expected. I had thought that by now I would have been able to give him so much more than I actually have. Sometimes I have felt sad at all the "would-have-beens," "could-have-beens," & "should-have-beens" of my life & Jadon's... there are just too many to count. Thinking about that fantasy-land makes reality seem all that more harsh.

But just as the Gospel reminds me that I must turn from fantasy & deal with the harsh reality of my situation, it also reminds me that I am to deal with this reality in faithfulness to the Lord, whose power & love are just as real as (or even "MORE real" than) what I see around me. God's power & love (in their greatness & eternal purpose) far transcend my temporal situation. In fact, the very same Psalm that tells me Jadon is a gift from the Lord also reminds me that God's power & love alone are what will make any enterprise of any eternal worth. It reminds me that I ought to let go of my own vision of what my "house" (or household) should be like, especially when I am tempted to use ungodly means of attaining it. In obedience to His word, I must trust in GOD'S faithfulness alone.

"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." (Psalm 127:1)

For those of you interested in Jadon's more recent photos (again, out of respect for Jadon's mother & her family, their photos are not included):
6-11 month-old photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/newsfromthewus/200702080807JadonFavorites611months

4-5 month-old photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/newsfromthewus/2006120820070207JadonFavorites45months

For those who didn't see the 0-3 month-old photos as included in the 12/2006 blog entry:
http://picasaweb.google.com/newsfromthewus/200608081207JadonFavorites03month