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February 2016
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34 brparents.com | february 2016 live / fa i t h e very week
day
morning, it?s the same ritual: one cup of decaf, bible reading, and time with the lord. i
get
myself in order, and it?s off to take my youngest to school before heading to the church office. we take turns praying. sometimes i lead, other times she leads. it?s usually the same prayer asking for god?s protection and favor over our family as well as his help in being an effective witness wherever our
day
leads. ?ere is always, ?i love you. have a great
day
,? before we part. one morning something was dif- ferent. nothing tragic, no hard conver- sation (all parents know what that is), but there was a short exchange that changed me. it changed me as a parent and as a pastor. the prospect of moving from ele- mentary to junior high had my daugh- ter giddy?her chatterbox was on over- load. her prayer this morning was brief?overshadowed by the myriad of thoughts running through her head. ?i hope my friends are there this morn- ing.? i assured her that they would be and then asked her what excited her the most about junior high. not hesitating a second, she squealed, ?i
get
a locker!? ?wow, awesome!? i responded trying my best to share her excitement about this new adventure. now for some rea- son, for the rest of the
day
i could not if it?s
important
to you, it?s
important
to me pastor chuck stearns, bethany church
get
the excitement of that squeal out of my head. this was a major
day
for her. that?s when it hit me, just how im- portant this event was in her world. these moments may seem small and trivial to us in our world of bud
get
s, meetings, contacts and contracts, but they are major in the lives of our chil- dren. to minimize or trivialize them would make our children feel insignifi- cant in our eyes. i have learned that when i value an achievement or share in the excite- ment of an experience or the sorrow of a child, i am adding value to a life of someone god has blessed me to be con- nected with. in a society where our chil- dren face a barrage of competition for popularity and peer approval, they need to have those around them who make them feel
important
and valued. ?
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