To my babies,
On the eve of this election-
This is what I want to tell you.
I want to tell you that I love The Lord first. And I love your Daddy second. And then I love you with all of my heart.
While that sounds contradictory to some, it is actually what makes loving you with all of my heart possible.
When I love and obey Jesus, I can love you best. When I love and respect your Daddy, I can love you best.
It’s about the order of things.
And, Babies, this world is broken and out of order.
Since that bite of fruit, it has been so.
But I want you to know it is not how it was meant to be.
It is not how it is meant to be.
You know when you giggle and cuddle up on screen porch while the thunder claps and you can hear the rain pour down through the leaves and it makes you feel alive?
That is a glimpse.
You know when you saw your baby brother for the first time and you felt pure love?
That is a glimpse.
You know when you look at the stars and see the moon full and find the Milky Way while the loons call on the lake?
That’s it.
You know when you play the guitar and you draw an eagle in a tree and you run fast like the wind?
There it is.
You know how you read about the workings of the human body and the layers of the atmosphere and vastness of the oceans?
There’s another glimpse.
He made those things! He made those sights and sounds and feelings and experiences for YOU to enjoy and so you would delight in HIM.
Glimpses of Glory.
That’s what we have right now.
And, I know what you are hearing and seeing right now.
and it’s not that.
I know you hear the news even though we don’t watch it on tv.
I know you hear it in songs that break down true love.
I know you see it on the flyers that force their way to our mailbox.
I know you feel the unspoken current of illness and fatigue and anxiety that pervades the community.
I know you watch stress in the expressions on my face.
I know you sense the change of the world right now.
And I want you to know what is True.
I want you to know what is Real.
The True things are clear.
They are not- and cannot be ultimately muddied in the media. If you read it on the internet, it doesn’t mean it is true. If you feel it, sometimes even that isn’t true. If someone in leadership over you tells you something is true; there is a possibility it is not.
The True things stand.
The Truth stands.
And that is what I want to tell you today. In this world, things are changing so fast that I cannot keep up. But I want to tell you what I hold on to. I want to teach you more about what you can hold on to.
These things.
Do these things.
Love The Lord your God with all of your heart.
Love The Lord your God with all of your mind.
Love The Lord your God with all of your strength.
And, love your neighbor as yourself.
To my three little ones- know this:
There is no one beside Him.
He is the Truth that stands.
When our world is rocking beneath our feet,
He is the Truth that stands.
And today, and going forward, more than ever-
I want to teach you to lean on that Truth.
This is my hope and promise to you.
His Word stands when the ground is shifting.
His Word stands when chaos abounds.
His Word stands because it is TRUE.
I will walk with you as long as The Lord allows me to. I promise you today that I will teach you what is REAL and TRUE. Every day that I am able.
Hold on to the Glimpses of Glory.
Be encouraged. It is but a shadow of what is to come!
Go swimming. Laugh. Howl at the moon. Ride your four-wheeler. Play Star Wars. Sing a song. Read a magazine. Lay in the hammock. Soak in the sun glistening on the water. Feel the warmth of your cozy blanket. Talk to your friends. Notice how the sunset looks different every day. Hear the birds in the Springtime.
Be diligent.
Stand on Truth.
Love The Lord.
Love your neighbor.
Be all He made you to be.
Fight the good fight.
I love you. Your daddy loves you. Jesus loves you even more.