Marc Phillips on PBB's

Marc Phillips on PBB's

Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost. (Proverbs 22:6 MSG)

(No typo, this verse bears repeating!!)

Marc Phillips is our last to share this week with regards to our little ones and how they are a reminder of Gods's unbelievable love for us as His children.

"I am a single Dad with 3 beautiful daughters.  It's very interesting how time and maturity changes your way of looking at life and yourself. When I was younger I can remember thinking, "I never want children".  It was all about me and my career and I didn't have time for kids. Now I don't know what I would do without them.

There are two very distinct times in life when I feel like the presence of God is nearby. One is in death and the other is at the time of birth. The memory of each of my children being born will forever be in my mind . It is embedded.  It is something that I will never forget. The way they smelled, the shape of their hands, feet, ears, the color of their eyes, the softness of their skin,  the sound of their voices crying out for life, I could go on an on an on!!!! 

I can also remember, that I had an immediate bond with my girls from the moment I laid eyes on them. I had never known a love like this before. It was a different kind of love than I had ever experienced.  It was love at first sight! It was the first time that I saw a small glimpse of the kind of love that maybe God has for me...... and for that matter, all of us. Unfailing, unconditional, never ending, nothing can separate you....kind of love. It was indeed a miracle!!!! I feel incredibly blessed to have had three of them.

Don't get me wrong the years have not always been a bed of roses. Having kids (having girls) can be a challenge. They will hurt you, lie to you, break your heart, and even make you wonder why did I ever want these people in the first place? Sometimes they will force you to ask the question, who is this person standing in front of me calling me Dad and asking for money and in the same breath telling me how uncool I really am? (Are you kidding me!!) Surely they don't belong to me. My children would never talk to me like this or act this way in public.....EVER!!!  Boy was I wrong!

One thing I know for sure is that I am a product of Proverbs 22:6  and I love the way The Message Bible translates this verse.  "Point your kids in the right direction-when they're old they won't be lost" Or if your a KJV type of person, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it".

I pray this for my children and I stand on this as a parent because I know first hand that it is the truth, and my parents stood on that same truth when I was young and thought that I knew all that there was to know! Often times I hurt my mother and father, lied to them and broke their hearts into a thousand pieces but they never gave up on me.

So, no matter what age your child is, you can always be an influence in their life. Love them no matter how they act, what they say, or what they do.

Thank you Lord for my parents. Thank you Lord for letting me be a parent and thank you Lord for letting me take care of Your children for the little time that I  have here on this earth. What an honor it is to be a father.

When ever I think to myself life is too busy and I don't have time for my kids, I begin to wonder what would I ever do without them!!