Before I was even considering becoming a mother myself I was very blessed to watch some great moms (and dads) raise their little darlings. Some of those fabulous predecessor parents have moved away before seeing me become a mom but it always makes me smile to think about the things they taught me now that I can put some of those lessons into practice. One gem I gleamed from my friend Valinda was this: Always make dad out to be the hero. I remember her talking about making her husband Khris's homecoming a celebration every day. She would get her first born (even when she was just a baby) and run to the door to excitedly greet him. At the time I thought, "That is so cool. I'm going to do that with my kid someday!" David certainly is a hero to me, my knight in shining armor as it were, and I want my children to understand that too. After a long hard day at the office the least we can do it turn off the VeggieTales, set aside the toys, and give him a big happy welcome home.
I never thought about the sense of anticipation that this little daily daddy party would create in my youngsters. I open the front door about thirty minutes or so before dad is due home and they just can't wait to see that little red pick-up pull into the drive. Here's a shot of them anticipating.
And here's a shot of them watching out the front door back in September 2006 when Benjamin was just starting to pull up and stand next to Nathan every chance he got. He's certainly come a long way since then.
I can't help but think about the sense of anticipation we should have as Christians. Our ultimate Hero, our Bridegroom, our Savior is coming back to get us and take us home with Him! Talk about a party! So often I get so caught up in the busyness of day to day life that I lose sight of the big picture. I should be so excited that my best friend who gave His life for my salvation is right now making preparations for me to come spend eternity with Him. I should live like the door has been opened and He's turning in the drive any second now (figuratively speaking).
"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." Matthew 24:42
This reminds me of a cute related story. Nathan's favorite verse of "This Little Light of Mine" right now is "Let it shine til Jesus comes." We often have the VeggieTales Sunday Morning Songs CD playing in the van and when it gets to the end of that song he always asks to sing "Til Jesus comes" again. It is exactly 1 minute 40 seconds into the first track - just in case you ever need to know. We haven't really talked a great deal about the second coming of Christ so I wonder what His mind is thinking at that point. Maybe it's one of those moments when I should just sit back and learn a little about childlike faith. Jesus said He was coming back so He's coming back and that's that, pure and simple.
