My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart also will be glad (Proverbs 23:15 NASB).
The one thing I want for my kids is that they know Jesus. I’ve said it from before they were born. They can do or be whatever they want, I don’t care, just as long as they know Jesus. Just as long as they seek Him and follow Him. That’s been my prayer from the beginning.
If they know Jesus, then nothing else matters.
Jesus is the giver of life. Without Him, how can we live to the full? And I want my children to live life to the full. There’s no place else for them to go, no one else for them to go to (John 6:68).
I want my children to fulfill their call, their purpose. I want them to live with no regrets. At the end of their days here on earth, I want them to have accomplished and experienced everything God had for them.
This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 WEB)
I want them to be like Jesus, full of love, full of humility, full of life. And there’s no way for them to get that without following Him.
I can’t do it for them. I can’t give them all the experiences Jesus has for them because, quite simply, I don’t know what those experiences are.
I can’t make them to be like Jesus because He’s the only one who can do that in any of us. I can’t change their hearts. Only He can.
But it’s hard to let them go. I’ve had so many of my own experiences with Jesus that I want to tell my children; I want to tell them all about Jesus. And I want that to be enough for them. I want them to stay in my fold.
But they’ve never even been in my fold. They’ve simply been in Jesus’ fold with me.
And Jesus is the good shepherd. He doesn’t lose any of His own. They may stray, get lost, hop the fence, but He’ll go after them. He’ll fight for them. He’ll seek them out. That’s His job. That’s who He is.
I couldn’t do it no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I would want to.
I’m just a sheep too. I’d end up just as lost if I followed after them, trying to keep them safe, tucked in my care. Then Jesus would have two of us to search out and rescue.
So I’ll stay in the fold of my Jesus. I’ll stay here and care for my young, loving, feeding, fellowshipping. And I’ll tell my Shepherd all about them, even though He already knows. And I’ll listen to His voice about them.
And just as He’s kept me in His fold, and tended me when I’ve found myself on the other side of the fence, I trust Him to keep my children in His fold.
And my heart will be glad.