Today is my son Jonathan’s 28th birthday. As our firstborn, he will always have a special place in my heart. As all kids are, there were times when he challenged my wife and me. Sometimes we didn’t like him – but we always loved him, no matter what.
In one of the more frustrating times of adolescence, we said something like “I wish you would have come with an instruction manual! His immediate reply?
Well, parents don’t come with one either!
Touché! We’ve all come a long way since then. Anita and I have almost 30 years of marriage (that’s 10,711 days-but who’s counting); four children (that’s a bazillion diapers, 24 years of PTA, a garage full of schoolwork-but who’s counting); family expansion (two wonderful young women who really love our sons); and one grandson (this grandparenting gig is wonderful).
Through it all, we’ve looked for that instruction manual (all of the family reads – even our first gift for Jack was a book!). Good stuff to be found, but not the answer we needed.
In one of the more frustrating times of adolescence, we said something like “I wish you would have come with an instruction manual! His immediate reply?
Well, parents don’t come with one either!
Touché! We’ve all come a long way since then. Anita and I have almost 30 years of marriage (that’s 10,711 days-but who’s counting); four children (that’s a bazillion diapers, 24 years of PTA, a garage full of schoolwork-but who’s counting); family expansion (two wonderful young women who really love our sons); and one grandson (this grandparenting gig is wonderful).
Through it all, we’ve looked for that instruction manual (all of the family reads – even our first gift for Jack was a book!). Good stuff to be found, but not the answer we needed.
The answer is in God’s word – it takes the whole Bible to lay it out, and
it will take you all of your life to put it into practice, but the instruction manual for life –
it’s Love.
Happy Birthday, Jonathan!
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