The Windows

Raising children is a journey riddled with windows. Windows of opportunity. Windows that slowly close and leave a parent forever fighting for a chance at second best.

There is a window to instill a love of reading in a child;
and to teach her the 26 letters with relative ease.

There is a window for teaching a child to ride a bike without fear;
and to trust that her daddy will catch her and not let her die!

There is a window to train a child in the habit of mannerly behavior;
and to relish a simple afternoon of hospitality and fellowship.

There is a window to nurture a child's inherent desire to work;
and know the sublime satisfaction of a job well done.

There is a window for leading her thinking along the path of righteousness;
and to win her heart, that you may daily preach the Gospel to her.

And there is a window to help a young woman-in-the-making understand herself--who she is in the Kingdom; how great and terrible her power as a member of the fairer sex; who is her Brother in Christ; and what is her responsibility to him and others.

I found this scribble hanging in Fifi's closet earlier in the season when I was switching out summer clothes for winter things. Which, in South Texas, is a complete waste of time--but that's beside the point.

It is a quote made by a peer during a speech on a mission trip. Fifi read it on the girl's blog.

What does it mean? At her age and older, I certainly would not have known. It is a statement of love. And it is a statement of self-sacrifice. Sacrifice of ease. Sacrifice of comfort. And certainly a sacrifice of attention.

Wouldn't it be a lovely world if everyone dressed and adorned themselves each day with a question of Godly motivation in mind? Let it start with the Body of Christ.