I've been meaning to write this for a while now just didn't think I had a complete thought yet. As we all know all good things must come to an end but somethings like lessons learned stick with us hopefully forever. The lessons I learned at the close of my study of King David left me speechless. David wasn't always there for his family but what really resonates with me is that he was when it mattered most.
Solomon was an inexperienced and young King. He needed a lot of help from wiser elders such as David. Although David wasn't apart of family functions much growing up I think we can all agree that Solomon could say that his dad was there when he needed him most. Think of the emotions that must have been swirling through his head! Will I be a good king? Will I be victorious? Will I do right in the eyes of the Lord? Will I know how to judge properly? Mainly am I ready? And so on and so forth. Have we had any of these thoughts before I'm sure if you apply these questions and doubts to your situation you can say honestly yes. I think the crucial piece here is that someone believed that he could and so they made it their mission to prepare Solomon for his kingly duties.
I just think this is so beautiful! I often times didn't understand the reasoning behind David's distance but regained my respect again towards the end of his reign as he took the steps to establish Solomon as king. I love legacies! I love making them, I love learning about them, I love learning about the marks someone left behind. David's investment to Solomon didn't just impact his generation it also impacted his grandson's. Solomon advised his son against certain actions to keep his son blameless before God. Instead of a distant legacy Solomon passed on the wisdom to his son! Can you see why I find this so beautiful??
As a mother I get what it's like to pray earnestly that my child would have better then I did. I also get how hard and taxing that sometimes can be. As this year of motherhood has come to a close I welcome all the lessons I learned and am anticipating the many I have yet to. The most important that I feel reflects parenting to me is I'm there when it matters most.
We just finished swimming lessons last week. Our little man loves the water! He loves to splash in the tub, loves walking in and out of the pool, he's an all around explorer. One of days we were trying out the frog slide. I saw that he was scared but I kept telling him I was right there ready to catch him and I was! I won't always be there but when he gets scared he knows I'll be there with him somehow. The second time we tried the slide I decided to go down it with him. This seemed to go a lot better he enjoyed it more I think. The last time we tried the slide he climbed right up the stairs and as I went to the bottom of the slide I was met with a big huge smile. It's as if he was saying "I'm ready mama!"
Honestly the thought of swimming and going underwater scared me. But each day I got a little bit more comfortable with it and by the end of the week both Nathan and I were enjoying ourselves. This was one of the times that I think he'll remember as I was there when he needed me. If someone were to ask Nathan what he remembers the most about his childhood I hope and pray he can something like "well I didn't have perfect parents but they tried their very best to be there for me and show me that they loved me" And that is my goal for the rest of my life to never stop finding ways to show him love and be there when he needs me.
So we celebrated Nathan's birthday tonight. I wanted to make sure we did something extra special, something that Nathan would remember for a long time. He loves airplanes! Fortunately we live by the airport and see them fly by quite often. So we went to watch airplanes take off and land. We had a lot of fun!! Grandpa David came with us too so it was even more special! Seeing the joy on his little face made the effort to see planes so worth it!! Hearing him make his happy noises is the delight of my heart!
I know he's happy and tonight we let him experience a dream fulfilled! In Love Dare for Parents it talked about children having dreams buried inside that are just waiting to be fulfilled. From that day forward I knew we were going to see planes on his birthday! I just knew he would enjoy that experience!! We were right and it made my heart leap for joy! Once again we were there when it mattered most. I'm now starting another Beth Moore bible study with some wonderful woman and friends! It's Breaking Free. Apparentley it's quite a powerful one as even Beth herself completed it!
I'm really excited for this because I know God's going to do some big changes in me! I'm so excited for strongholds to be broken!! I'm not always going to enjoy the process but I will love the end result. It's true that everything worth having is worth fighting for. I'm learning that every day! Some days are certainly better then others as a stay at home mom but I wouldn't trade anything to miss any of these moments with my son! It's so worth every sacrifice to see that smile and hear that giggle and get those cuddles!!! As more breaks off of me I pray that frees up my emotions and mind to be there for Nathan. Again it's another opportunity for him to say I was there when he needed me the most.
In our family we teach intentionality. We love people, we love being with people, we love making memories, sharing life with others, exploring our interests together. We pray that every time we are with someone Nathan sees how intentional we are with them. One day he will model the behavior he was taught and I pray that we are showing him how to love and forgive and give grace. That's what Jesus does for us! One day he'll be called to live like Jesus and I pray that he's been seeing Him all along as he watches us! When all is said and done I hope he can say "they were there when I needed them the most."
I love you with all my heart
Tina Martina Putney
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