Blessed Man...
I read a Proverb once that said "A rich man is one who's children still approach him with open arms even when he has nothing in his hands" If this is true then I am a rich man...better yet I am a Blessed man.
Looking back over the years, I have had many opportunities to "be" or "do" more. There have been many times that I passed on opportunities, in which I would have been making a great deal more money. Each time those opportunities presented themselves, I passed opting instead to be present while my children were growing up...and I don't regret a minute of it...not one!
It makes me proud to say that I was there when they took their first steps. I remember each and every time one of them was sick, especially the few times we had to make trips to the hospital. My children still enjoy having a laugh at my expense as they recall memories of me with brush and comb in hand trying to braid my girls hair...I can't help but smile as I think about it now. They have been a steady source of joy and I can't begin to imagine what my life would have been like without them in it.
I find myself is a most pleasantly awkward position...sort of an "uncharted territory" going where no man (in my life & circle ) has gone before. My father rarely spoke to me...he never told me that he was proud of me...to be honest I spent a lot of time wondering if the dude even liked me. My children on the other hand, race to be the one who sits next to me...they catch me off guard when they give me hugs for no reason at all...they are all teenagers now but I still tell them I love them and kiss them goodnight every night.
Before my children came along I was arrogant, selfish and prideful, but there is something about seeing a child entering the world for the first time that put everything into perspective for me. The birth of my children cultivated the protector and the nurturer in me. They have been both my lifeline and my accountability, as I learned early on that their little watchful eyes were always there taking it all in.
In the bigger sense, however I consider myself a blessed man not just because my children still love to come around me, but because since the birth of my children I have grown to have a deeper appreciation and love for God. Having children of my own, and doing all that I can to protect them and keep them safe, having to make some hard decisions that they may not have liked, experiencing the pain of one of them passing away...and other experiences with my children have caused me to grow in my appreciation of God...they have caused me to realize that like any good parent His heart breaks when He sees His children suffer (especially when they accuse Him of being the bad guy) I no longer read His words as a list of rules or view Him as the Angry deity poised on the end of His throne waiting to smite me when I get out of line...
I apologize if I have been rambling, but as I sat at my desk going through the pictures of our trip, from a few months ago, I saw the pictures of me with my children and I couldn't help but realize that I am a blessed man...I truly am
Thanks for reading :)
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