For the last several months, my son has wanted to go to school. I know this is unusual and in about 5-10 years, this will not be his sentiment toward school. But, as of now I think it is pretty cool. I want him to be a young man who is inquisitive and wants to learn. So far, he has lived up to this desire of mine. He is bright, and he surprises me often with the amount of things that he can remember and recall. I know that most every three-year-old is little sponges, soaking up everything they see, hear, touch, taste, smell. He has an incredible imagination and he makes me laugh often. I can say that I am thoroughly enjoying these first years.
Next week, he will begin pre-school. It is only for two days a week, and only a few hours a day. But, this is a big step for us as a family and him as a young boy. I know that parents have been sending their children to pre-school for years, and for some this is no big deal. But, for me this is huge. He will be in a place where he will have to make decisions for himself. He will have to be alone in some things. He will not have mommy and daddy right beside him, telling him what to do every minute of the day. I know he will have good teachers and good guidance,but it won’t be me.
This is the first time that I have really released my son into the world. I can tell that he is excited to go. But, I am a little hesitant. My desire is to keep him close, protect him, make decisions for him, and watch over him. But, I know my job and my responsibility as a parent is to launch him into the world. He is only three, and he still has many years under my watch.
My only prayer is this: “God, may I be a man after your heart who desires to know you and make you known. May my life be an accurate reflection of who you are so that my son will know you. Give me wisdom to prepare him for the obstacles that he will face.”
My highest priority is for my son to know Christ and follow him. If he is a great athlete and a follower of Christ, praise God. If he is a great writer and a follower of Christ, praise God. If he is a great musician and a follower of Christ, praise God. If he does none of these things yet is a follower of Christ, praise God.
In our last conversation about going to school, I asked him if he was excited about going to school. HE said that he was very excited. I asked him why he didn’t want to stay with his mommy anymore. He looked at me very matter-of-factly and said, “I’ll come back.”
I like this. I know that whatever happens in his life, I will always be his dad. I know he is going to make mistakes and bad decisions. I know he will fail and take the wrong paths. But, want to show him the roads to follow, the paths to take, the way of following Christ. I want to show him this so that when he is on his own he will know the way home. Wherever, he goes, he will know how to come back.
One of my favorite artists wrote a song about this very thing. I think it is fitting to end this post with “You’ll Find Your Way” by Andrew Peterson.
mark t. collins 