The Next Generation

This morning I am sitting in the living room watching my son play on the floor. It’s early, about 7:30 AM. This morning around 7, I snatched him from his mother’s side so that she could sleep. All he wanted to do was play and sing, and that is what he is doing right now (I would capture it on video and upload it for you, but the battery in the camera is dead. Go figure.).

As I watch him wiggle and croon, I wonder about all the other fathers throughout history. Did they every dream of what their sons would be as I do now? I think of the great men of the ages: Abraham, Moses, Peter, Paul, Winston Churchill, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Billy Graham, and all the others. They all had fathers. Did those dads know that their sons were going to be remembered in the annals of time as men who changed the course of history, that it would be their prodigy that would begin a nation, lead the Church that Christ began, win a world war, lead a revolution or win a million souls to Christ?

Then I think of other men. Did Solomon know this his kingdom was to be divided under the foolish rule of his son Rehoboam? I wonder if Hezekiah ever imagined that his son, Manasseh, would lead the children of Israel into greater sin than any of his forefathers. It’s hard to believe that a man like Hitler could have any parents, but he did have a father. Would that father have shuddered if he saw what his son would be? Or even more recently, would Ted Bundy’s dad have imagined that his son would have been executed for the horrendous murders that he committed?

With these thoughts in mind, I pray for my son. I pray for myself. I pray for my family and the world. Every one of us has the potential for greatness or infamy. The chance to impact this planet for the cause of Christ or our own gain. I want my son to grow up to be as happy as he is now, to be as full of vibrant life as his eyes are holding right now. Every dad wants that for his son. Even Hitler’s dad wanted that for his son. As men, we want to be proud of what our sons become.

I believe that God is no different. He sees us in our beginning moments of life and plans the best for us. He wants to be proud of us. He believes in us. He is our Father. Even those who have gone astray into the darkness of this world, still hold a special place in His heart as He waits for them to become what He meant for them to be. May we see all of God’s children through His eyes.