A lesson I learned from my 4-year old son...

Proverbs 20:11 - Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

It started one morning last spring when my kids were awake before I left for work.  The were normally not awake before I left for work since they were both in pre-school at the time.  Ages three and four, they did not need to rise terribly early to make it in before their "lessons" started.  That morning, my wife brought them out of the house and they just could not let me get in the car without an extensive number of kisses & hugs.  But, that was not the part that left me with tears in my eyes half way to work that morning.

As I pulled out of the drive way, they did not cry at all.  They watched me ease my car out into the street and even came up to the edge of the road to shout into my car window how much they love me.  As I started to ease my car forward and began to accelerate, my son began to cheer me on as I headed down the street, my daughter joining in rather quickly.  Dressed in my uniform, my throat started to choke up and tears welled up in my eyes as their cheers, led by my son, rang in my ears. "Go Daddy! Go Daddy! Go Daddy!"

They had no idea what I had to do that day nor what awaited me when I got to the office.  They did not care, though.  They had all the confidence in the world that I could tackle whatever came my way.  And they wanted to make sure I knew that they were sending me off with their blessing.  Every time they are awake when I or my wife leaves the house without them, they insist on cheering us down the street, at the end of the driveway until our vehicle turns out of sight at the end of the street, regardless of the temperature or time of day.

You probably think that is awful sweet they do that for their parents, and it is!  But, what you  may not realize, and we did not either until we had guests over to the house for dinner one night, they insist on doing that for everybody that comes over to the house.  I DO mean everybody.  Friends of the family, guests, sales people, contractors, service providers, and even the mailman.  Each of those people who come to the McQueen house while the kids are home and awake, get treated to two kids cheering them on their way.

The kids are quite indiscriminate in their exhibit.  They do not care about a person's background, color, beliefs, or even mood.  The kids just want whoever it is to know that they are special and whatever they are heading off to do next, the kids believe in them.  And, if the person gets away without being cheered for, the kids will absolutely melt down, most times to the point we might even have to call them back to the house.  (Although, I do not think we have gotten to that place yet.)

The lesson in all that came last week when I had him my son in the care, and  we were headed out together to go somewhere.  He would not let me drive away from the house until he said his goodbyes & blew his kisses to mom.  He began to scream and cry, and no matter how I tried to explain that we would only be away for a few minutes... It. Could. Not. Wait!  So, I put the car in reverse and began pulling back to the house where his mom and sister were still in the driveway. (Mom has been called back out of the house on previous trips, so she knows better than to go inside too soon.)

What he taught me at that moment was that I should never wait to show my love for somebody, anybody, everybody.  Loving people does not have boundaries, to include time.  I should never pass up an opportunity to make sure somebody knows how much they mean to me.  My kids have started a revolution in my heart, and they do not even realize what they have done.  I know I may not do it right all the time.  But, watching them, I sure have something to strive for.  And, I know that anybody who watches them for even just a short amount of time, will catch the same fire ... a fire to love the world.

Oh, and if you want my kids to cheer for you, feel free to come over for a visit!

John 3:16 (ESV) - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Matthew 18:2-3 (ESV) - And he called a child to himself and set himself before them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Luke 18:17-18 (ESV) - But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."

The Living Eulogy: Don't wait until he's DEAD!!!

1 Thessalonians 5:11

One of the traditions engendered by the military culture is the art of the "Going-away Luncheon".  This ritual centers around the fact that military members usually get re-assigned to a different duty station every 3-5 years.  Over the last 20+ years of my military career I have attended quite a few and even been the recipient of a handful myself.  It is at these events that a number of friends and co-workers congregate at the venue of the honoree's choosing, most usually the favorite dining place, to send them off to their next duty assignment and wish them well on their future endeavors.  Family members are almost always invited to show how important the family unit is to the servicemember's sacrifice and how much their sacrifice is also appreciated.

The event begins with the masses descending on the eatery of choice, hopefully after making arrangements with the management to bring in that many at one time.  Invites have typically gone out to the week or two prior to the event and, depending on the size of the operation, there are often 20-50 people in attendance.  In my time, I have seen an entire restaurant taken over for the sole purpose of one of these events.

As folks arrive, they will make their way over to the honoree to shake hands and provide well wishes.  They move on to find their seats and put in their orders for food.  Even if they are not fans of the eating venue, they will still attend and find at least something on the menu to partake in just to attend the event.  And, although people usually sit amongst the small groups they feel most comfortable, all those different groups have been touched in one way or another by the honoree.

At the events winding down, either the person's office supervisor or commander will stand up to start part of the event to honor the person departing.  They will typically say some words about how much that person has meant to them and the group they are speaking for.  And, as others get up to do the same, they will typically proffer a gift or memento of some sort to remind them of their time served.

One thing I noticed through all the events I have attended is that for the honoree it was almost always the first time they had heard these accolades being said about them.  Much like at somebody's funeral, people who are familiar with this person relay stories, friendly jabs, quirks, accolades, send offs & appreciated qualities.

While it is great to reflect on these things at the end of a person's tenure or at the end of their life, should we not be filling their ears and their hearts with these things while they can gain the benefit of those spoken words?  Too many times we wait until someone has left, or is leaving, to share with them how appreciated they or their efforts are to us.

We should take little bits of time out of our day to appreciate those around us.  It does not have to be a constant state of praise.  But, just little bits of "thank you" and "I am grateful for you because..." will help to build up those we come into contact with every day.  This encouragement will reflect the love of God in their lives and reinforce what they do that makes them special to the world around them.

So, please take some time in your day-to-day life to recognize what is special about the people around you, particularly the people closest to you like your spouse and/or your children.  Do not wait until you are at the end of your time with that person.  It will surprise you what a difference it will make in your life and the lives of others.  Who knows you may be able to bring the only ray of sunshine to a dark corner of the world and be the only light of God that a person sees!

1 Thessalonians 5:11  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Ephesians 4:29  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Jude 1:20-21  But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.