All of you parents know there was a moment the day your child was born that you probably looked at them and thought something similar to, "Who are you? And who will you become?" We spend hours dreaming of what our children will grow up to be and what their personality will be like. I remember wondering what my son's voice would sound like. When he began cooing, I became so excited about the day he would be able to talk to me.
Elizabeth and Zechariah have dreams for their son, John. They know he is sent from God and has a journey for God ahead of him. However, they probably think he will have riches and power in the government. They may think he will have great honor and praise. Instead, we learn from Luke 1 that John the Baptist will spend years, about 30, wandering the desert. We know from the other gospels that he will die like a criminal and be beheaded while in prison. Yes, he grew up to be a great man who did what God asked of him, but he didn't follow the dreams of his parents.
Joseph takes his two sons to Jacob when he hears that Jacob is sick. Jacob calls his grandsons to him in Genesis 48. He blesses them, but puts the second son first. Joseph tries to correct him, but Jacob knows that the second born will have more power than the first born. Four generations in a row have allowed for the blessings to go out of order.
We can have all the dreams in the world for our children and wish them the best of lives. But what they really need from us to raise them to follow God and follow their own hearts. We can't dictate the lives of our kids. We can't even control what all goes on in our own lives. This is a scary thought for some parents. I hope that I am able to teach my son to find comfort in God's control over his life, not fear.
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