July 31, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, July 31.
On this day, 35 years ago, my oldest daughter was born. It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home from a Fort Worth hospital. And around this time, 17 years ago, she left our home for college. That's a scene that's being replayed in countless families again this year, a moment, perhaps more than any other, that serves as a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood.
When a child is suddenly out in the world and on their own, the parents worry about whether they've done everything they could to prepare them. In that moment we're reminded of Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it."
God gives us many precious promises in His Word, but this verse isn't a promise, it's a principle. We've all seen examples of godly parents, who have done their best, but who end up grieving over a child that has made poor choices, a child that ends up departing from the way that they were raised. Our children are individuals with freedom to choose their own way. Proverbs 20:11 tells us, "Even a child is known by their deeds, whether what they do is pure and right".
I am certainly not a perfect parent. But, today, I am blessed to wish a happy birthday to a daughter who is kind and capable, funny and faithful, loving and lovable.
And I am thankful.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
