My son Alex has flown outta here... was he ready? Was I?
August 6, 2009
Philippians 1:6
6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Wow—my 18 year old son has left the building.He has landed in Australia—and he is on his own period.
Oh I had a very hard time watching him walk through security all by himself.I instantly thought of all the times I carried his goalie bag—his hockey equipment—while he tailed along carrying his stick.I thought of the games he was back in the net all by himself taking shot after shot—sometimes winning the game due to his determination to stop every puck.I watched him become a leader on his teams as he would yell orders from the goalie crease.Was I a proud dad back then?Absolutely.I was even more proud as he walked through the security gate carrying his guitar case looking back and waving goodbye.
Yes, I wept.I wept because I missed him.I wept because I knew he had made this choice to go.I wept because I let him go.
But in truth, I let him go a long time ago.I let him go when it came to knowing Christ.That needed to be his choice.I let him go when it was time to choose who he would befriend.I let him go along time ago.Why?
I have been in student ministry for 20 years.I have watched and seen what smothering parents do to their children.I have watched what parents do to students—by wanting them to have their relationship with Christ like they think it should look like.I have seen what it means as parents try and fineness God on their student.I have seen what it means for parents and their students to live as if their life is actually theirs.
No—I knew the day Alex was born, this boy was God’s to mold and shape—I am his dad and I am here to help, and to train, and to nurture and to discipline, and to love—but not to hang onto.Yes—he flew away and yes Alex is in good hands.My prayer is that Alex will find the life of Faith to be his all.
That story—that picture is how I treat student ministry.I am there to help students find the Lord, and to learn to trust Him.I am there for parents to help them learn to live by faith also.Way to many Christ followers are stuck in mandating behavior—all the while pushing following away and learning to trust in the past.
I am confident that when God does a work in a person—He will do His work in them period.I just get to be there for a little help.
