Expectations

"Christmas is so hustle and bustle. It's hard to find the time to enjoy it, really. We are hectic shoppers, and busy, busy, busy with EVERYTHING going on! Sometimes, we forget to slow down and reflect on what makes this time of year so very special, like the stories that ground us and the little things that make our lives feel festive year round whenever we pause to reflect on them."



A while back I was looking through a few things when I came across some old bibles I had collected over the years. One 1948 Bible belonged to my great-grandmother, Hettie Frost. In it, she wrote down different dates involving her children. I also found the bible given to me by mom and dad at Christmas of 1972. I was 13.

I was glancing through another Bible that was given to me a few short years ago, when something I had written inside the front cover caught my eye.

The date was November 24, 2001. It was a Saturday morning and I remember this incident very well. I was in the bathroom shaving, when suddenly 5-year-old Elijah appeared in the doorway. As he stood there watching me, I began playing a game with him by carving out funny looking beards and mustaches, etc. I would even add more shaving cream to keep it going. He was getting a big kick out of it, and I was enjoying watching him laugh at me. We were having fun. And then, right in the middle of our game, he suddenly exclaimed, "I wish I was you, Dad!" I said, "Why's that, son?" And, he replied, "Because you're a great Dad!" When he said that, I looked down at him and he was looking right at me. And, the way his big blue eyes were sparkling after what he had just said to me are two things I shall never forget.

"Lord, please help me to hold up to his expectations. And, when I can't, please help him to forgive me. Help me to be the kind of father to my children that you would have me to be. I know that if I strive to live up to your expectations, I will live up to theirs."

Merry Christmas everyone!