A Father's Day Tribute...Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated our high school graduates.  It was a big year for our youth group, as we graduated 15 students.  I watched that week as students were celebrated for so many accomplishments.  Some had achieved the highest honors they give out in the public school system, some were the top athletes in their class, others had been given full rides to schools they had always dreamed of going to, and there were even a few that had received perfect attendance for all 12 years of school (something I don't even think I ever came close to!).  As I attended graduation party after graduation party, I watched as parents went above and beyond to help their graduate know just how proud they were of all they had accomplished.  It was a pretty sweet thing to be a part of.

I have always felt as though the teenagers that graduate from our youth ministry are somewhat "surrogate" children to us.  We not only invest a lot of time into them (although not nearly as much as their parents), but we desire the best kind of life possible for them.  This year was the first year that we actually had a child of our own around graduation.  While he is only 19 months old, I couldn't help but find myself day dreaming about what the next 18 years of his life will look like.  I found myself wondering what kind of friends he will have, what sports he will play, whether he will be musically gifted, what kinds of grades he will get, what kind of colleges will pay his way for school (you have to dream big, right?), what kind of clubs he will get involved in, and what he will spend the majority of time doing throughout school....

And to be honest, none of those things will matter unless he has Jesus Christ at the center of EVERYTHING.

I have been told at times that I set the bar too high when it comes to the kind of life that I hope teenagers live out.  I have been told that we live in a world where our kids have to be involved in "everything" if they are going to be good at "something."  I have watched as our world has placed such a high value on things that in the end just are not that important.  And as I have become a parent over this last year, as I have become a parent for the first time, I have come to realize in an even deeper way how crucial it is for my kids to have Jesus at the center of EVERYTHING.

I grew up in a home where my parents lived that life out.  I have been told numerous times that my family is "unique."  Maybe it's because my parents have been married for 40 years, maybe it's because we get along, maybe it's because my sisters are my best friends and my parents are some of the greatest mentors I will ever know, maybe it's because we love each other.  Honestly, I think the uniqueness comes from the fact that we are all attempting to live out our lives and parent in a way that Christ is the center of EVERYTHING.

Let me say from the start, we are by no means perfect.  Trust me, if you peered in on our family vacation in July you would quickly realize that!  But having Christ at the center of EVERYTHING changes EVERYTHING.  It changes what you do with your money, how you spend your time, what you choose to invest in, how you make every decision for your family, how you treat one another and how you live out your lives in this world.  My life as a child was different because my Mom and Dad chose to make some pretty difficult decisions that looked "different" than the rest of the world because they lived with the deep conviction that there was more to this life than just what the world had to offer.

Last night, we were at dinner and I watched as Biruk sat next to his beloved Pop-Pop.  I watched as my Dad let Biruk eat the majority of his meal...due to the fact that he eats like no other kid I have seen!  I listened to my Dad share how he told Biruk's story to the lady sitting at the table next to us (which I think he does at least once a week in the proudest Pop-Pop kind of way).  I watched as my Dad laughed hysterically at Biruk as he splashed in the fountain, leaned over and then fell into the fountain in the little town we were walking around in...and I thought to myself, Biruk has no idea what kind of Pop-Pop he has.

This Father's Day, I want to say thanks to my Dad who has "set the bar high" as to what it means to live a life where Christ is at the center of EVERYTHING.  I want to say thanks to my Dad for modeling what it looks like to live with passion, conviction and deep belief in God and the way he calls us to live out our lives in this world.  I want to say thanks to my Dad for showing us what it means to be compassionate, what it means to give generously, and what it means to love unconditionally.  Thanks Dad for reminding us that when we choose to lose our life for Him, we gain everything.  Happy Father's Day to one "unique" Dad!