So this will probably seem like a youth pastor putting a cheesy, over-simplification of something that shouldn’t be simplified. But I like it. So deal.
Sarah and I are having our 2nd child sometime REALLY soon! (she is scheduled to be induced on February 15th!) Addison is doing great, 18 months old…running around, learning words/sounds/people/etc….and SO smart! We have definitely been blessed, and continue to be.
Having 2 kids freaks me out a little bit. A lot bit. In many exciting ways. One way in particular is the risk that, in my human-ness, I might favor one child above the other. I love Addie…and I’ve had 18 months with her already, forming bonds, having great experiences, teaching her, and her teaching me. On the other hand, Sophie will need to be held more, carried more, rocked more…and will be a bit more delicately handled. Both girls will be incredible inspirations for a father who’s ready to love. Ultimately, I think I’ll be okay…I love Sophie so much already, but Addison is loved just as much. And thankfully I’m not alone. I have an incredible wife, who teaches me, and does it as if she’s been studying parenting books since she was 10. (come to think of it, maybe she has. 🙂 )
In this, I’m getting a very small glimpse of our Fathers’ love for us. We believe that whether someone begins living towards God at a young age, or whether they are “born again” just prior to passing on….God loves them the same. That can be hard to understand, and especially in ministry with teenagers, may seem unfair to the one who has put in time and effort “investing” in their relationship with God.
Seeing it as a parent/child or a creator/created relationship, instead of measuring it by our economic investment/return relationship….it’s a bit easier to swallow.
It may be easy to realize that, and say….well, that’s good for the person who gets in right before they die. But being honest with ourselves, I think we’d all rather it go the way God has it now. We don’t earn it. We don’t buy it. We don’t have to constantly measure ourselves up with “God’s will” measuring tapes. I’ve talked with so many who are really afraid of “falling out” of God’s will on accident…as if walking a spiritual tightrope.
If you’re worried about God’s will…seriously….you’re probably in a good place. Enjoy your life.
You are loved. Just as much as the mega-pastors. Just as much as Mother Theresa. Just as much as that smelly guy who always hangs out by the gas station. Whether you’ve spent years acknowledging God….or have just begun to. May that knowledge bless you.
words from wick 
Your blogs always make me think. I might start reading it at school. haha Just kidding.
You could take a page from Solomon’s book and come up with a variation. Regulate how often each one is able to be cute. Enforce their speech so that Addie and Sophie say words in sequence to come up with sentences. Dedicate one of your arms to Addie, and the other to Sophie, and never vary.OR, you could just throw the cards up in the air, and believe you’re making the best attempt you can at being fair.