So what do I expect?

Twenty years ago, I'd have said that I expect my kids to become great.

 

Today, I have a different set of expecations and hopes for my kids than the ones I imagined then.  Today, I am hoping for, praying for, and working towards the goal of helping develop three good men.  Men who have character, compassion, a good work ethic, and a love of God.  Men who are good to their wives, good to their kids, dependable at work, and overall solid citizens.  Whether they turn out to be lawyers, doctors, architects, and engineers, or whether they wind up as reporters, mechanics, salesmen, or pursue careers in the military - - I dont really care.  Those job titles dont measure the man - - I'm looking for the man behind the title.

 

Is that stupid?  Did I just say something that the whole rest of the world already knows?  Why did it take me so long to figure this out? 

 

Well, perhaps I figured it out a while ago, but I'm so driven to accomplish objectives, that I must admit that some of this objective-focused approach towards life has rubbed off on my child-raising.  Upon reflection, however, thats not the real me - - the real me is the guy described above.  I want my boys to grow into good men...men who are good husbands, fathers, Christians, and employees.  Men who provide for their families, bring the kids by to see their grandfather, and men who I can still talk to about important things in either of our lives.      

 

I guess the last thing I hope for in my sons is a spirit of service.  We have been given many things in this country, and it is my hope to instill an appreciation for those things into our kids as well.  To bring them up with kind and compassionate hearts for those less fortunate than us, and with a desire to give back to those who might not have as much or to the country which provides so much.  I had a long and frustrating dialogue with someone in my family last year about service to the country - - her view was that only the military understood service to the country.  My view is that many people give and sacrifice for the country - - whether those in the ministry, the medical profession, the education system, the legal system, fire fighters, policemen, or even the recreational sports systems are all giving back to make this country great.  They are all just as heroic as the men in the service...at least they have the potential to be just as heroic, because they are working with people in need - - whether those people are in need from age, health, wealth, or education is not really the issue.  In my mind, if you are willing to see the needs of other people around you and to meet those needs, then you are a "hero" right on par with the men and women in the service.  One caveat, of course, would be those men and women who have given more than just time - - those men and women who have been killed or wounded while serving this country are a higher level of hero than anyone described previously - - and they're so much higher that it makes the rest of us pale in comparison.  But, for the living, I believe that we all, not just those in the service, we all have an obligation to give back, to show compassion, to show kindness, to help those less fortunate than us... and I believe that this is a large part of how we're measured.   We're all called to love the Lord God first - - but having done so, I believe that we honor Him best by how we treat others...and it is this desire that I also hope to pass on to my sons...  

 

Twenty years ago, I expected my kids to become great - - I guess that I still do.