BORN TO SOAR

"Her children rise up and call her blessed."
Proverbs 31:28 NKJV

Our children are born to soar, not settle. "As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young...taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him" (Dt 32:11-12 NKJV). When it's time for her young to leave the nest, a mother eagle will push them out if they're reluctant to go. That's because they weren't born for the comfort of the nest but the conquest of the skies.

Billy Graham's wife, Ruth, wrote: "I dreaded returning to the empty house. Then suddenly as I walked down the length of the hall leading to the children's rooms-they weren't empty. In that moment I was greeted by a living presence and I realized anew his last words, ‘Surely I am with you always' (Mt 28:20 NIV). From this vantage point I can look back on circumstances involving our children, situations I once felt were hopeless, and watch in amazement as God brought order out of chaos and light out of darkness. Now as each of my children build their own nest, I shall be watching with interest and love; concern at times, but concern undergirded with confidence, knowing a loving God is in control." Parent, you've been granted stewardship but denied ownership. Before you know it, you'll be holding your memories and releasing your child. Watching them leave will test your faith. It's easier to trust God with our own lives than with the lives of our children. Nevertheless, school's out! It's time to see how well the pupil and the teacher do. If you've done your job right, your children will rise up and call you "blessed."