For This Child, I Prayed...

 That's my boy, in that picture.  He's shaking the hand of President Ransdell.  Those are Honor Cords around his neck.  He is a college graduate.  He's a Summa Cum Laude college graduate.  Yes, I am proud.  I have to admit, I do like those Latin words rolling off my tongue. This child DID take Latin in high school, so he knows what they mean, but I don't think they're very important to him.

  What can I tell you about this boy of mine?  He was born at 11:56AM on December 19th, 1989.  He weighed in at a whopping 6lbs 8oz. He looked like a little old man and I thought he was the most beautiful baby in the world.  He walked early (10 mo.), talked early, counted early, read early.  This is a child with whom you could reason, at a very early age.  This child received very few spankings because Time Out and a little talk worked with him. 

This child made my view of the world shift. This child brought me JOY!!  But, suddenly I was scared of so many things, like EARTHQUAKES (I could see the San Andreas fault from my house), drunk drivers, child molestors, nuclear war, etc... How could I experience such joy and such crippling fear at the same time? I knew it wasn't healthy to wrap this healthy, inquisitive, brilliant child in bubble wrap and lock us both in the house.  So, I told GOD he had to help me to trust that HE would protect this child of mine.  I cried out, "I believe.  Help my unbelief."  HE did.  It didn't happen overnight, but before long, I could go 24 hours without imagining something horrible happening to this precious child.

What's next for this child of mine?  Not a wedding.  We did that last summer.

  This child's next stop is Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he will pursue a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in International Church Planting.  This child wants to share the love of Jesus around the world. 












This Mama is so proud of this boy, for so many reasons, one of the least of which are those 3 Latin words on his diploma.








The picture below, THIS is my favorite picture of the day.  Look at that smile.  Look at that excitement.  Look at that joy.  This boy of mine knows WHO he is and WHOSE he is!!