Carli graduates tonight. Besides feeling quite old, I am very proud of her achievements, contribution, energy, enthusiasm, and walk with God. I am sure that I am not saying anything any proud father would not say of his daughter, however, I do feel very special and privileged to be a part of her growth into her own personhood. The road has not always been easy and will not always be smooth in the future. The journey together gives me hope that the future is in good hands.
As I look around I see hope in kids today. The challenges and obstacles are as great as any in the past. The abilities and contributions that kids are bringing to the tables are equally as large. There is something even more important that many overlook. Kids carry a fresh imprint of God’s design in them – unsullied by journeys into selfishness and pride. It is the glimpse of God through a child that gives me a clearer picture of what God is really like. I see excitement, fun, playful interaction, belief, confidence, and most of all peace.
There is a hard edge of reality in the world today. People are hurting other people in new ways that continue towards unknown depths. Their actions stretch society’s boundaries of yesterday into today’s norm. My automatic reaction is full of fear, doubts, and a mild care of depression. It is clear that “if our powerful God had not provided us a legacy of living children, we would have ended up like ghost towns, like Sodom and Gomorrah.” (Romans 9.29) People living without a sense of direction or hope for the future.
Kids change everything. Today is a day marked in my memories as one filled with new dreams. The future is brighter and the burdens of the day are lighter than yesterday. God gives us each the opportunity to start fresh with Him; taking the best of yesterday and learning from the things left behind. Kids are the flowers and sunlight that give us a sense of what we can yet become.
