Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
and if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
In Jesus' name. Amen.

It's bedtime. The house is mostly dark and quiet...peaceful. Then baby Zachary stirs and starts crying. My wife has thankfully managed to get to sleep and he hasn't stirred enough to wake her yet. I go in and try to give him the pacifier he's spit out but he won't have it. So me and the little man hike it up out of the crib and head for the other end of the apartment.

As I sit and rock him and gently brush his blanket across his cheek, I wonder how I got so lucky. He's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I feel thankful. I'm blessed to have the privilege of a son I can rock to sleep. What will he be like when he grows up? What kind of man will he be?

Boy, it can be hard to remember that sweet little boy sometimes. Zach is 16 now and quickly...more quickly than maybe I would like...is becoming a man. But I still remember him as a baby when I could rock him to sleep and rub his cheek with his blanket.

Parents, be thankful that you've been blessed with kids. They can be real buggers at times, for sure, and they have the knack of turning us into our parents(for better or worse, you decide)...but they are yours, given to you by God, and they are your prize as much as they are your responsibility.

Sure, they eat a lot and they smell bad at times and they can be really ungrateful at times for all we do for them as parents. But, they teach us as much about ourselves and God as they learn about anything we teach them. Even if you don't have kids of your own, I encourage you to really spend some time with the children that are in your life and see God through their eyes. You won't be sorry.