"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
I was reading my wife's blog the other day and was struck by a photo which she had posted on it. It is a photo of Isaac crawling down the long tunnel of a large cardboard box with me in the background cheering him on. As I considered this picture, it became increasingly clear to me what it is that I am intuitively teaching my son: life. Every day I teach him to smile, to laugh, to sing, and to dance (lots of singing and dancing). Some days I teach him to roll and play, to wrestle, to climb, and to tickle. I talk to him and I listen to him. In all of this I am teaching him to grasp life in each little increment that comes his way. I am teaching him, by example, how to live. One day, I will walk with him through sorrow and loss. I will share with him joy and celebration. In all the various climes of life, I will teach him the resiliency and splendor of love.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear"
My hope for Isaac is that he learns to live life without fear - that he learns to love. Today this takes the form of exploring the house, of treating each little moment as an opportunity to learn and grow, to laugh and love. I hope that he takes each moment as a gift, as an invitation to live abundantly.
Living life abundantly doesn't necessarily involve jumping out of airplanes or traveling to far-off exotic places - these are equally means by which one can run from life - no, it involves learning to love, weeping with those who weep, laughing with those who laugh, accepting each moment and each person as a gift from God and responding appropriately: in love. This is what I hope to teach my son.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God"
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