Happy Birthday Faith and Logan!

The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel! (Psalm 128:5-6 ESV). Today’s reading indicates the incredible blessing of seeing your grandchildren. I have been blessed threefold! Today I can celebrate Faith and Logan’s twelfth birthday and next week I will be able to celebrate the first birthday of Maggie. We’ll get to more specifics of Maggie on December 3rd. Today I will use Faith and Logan’s birthday as the source of my inspiration and encouragement. It is a bit unusual for me today in that I have not missed being with them on their birthday before. I was there the day they were born and have been privileged to be with them for all the others. We soon will be able to see them as we make the move back to Texas; but, today provides me with some reason to be a little wistful. Before they were born I thought of the names they were to be given. Each had their own history and meaning. Faith is essentially an English vocabulary word that defines the firm belief or trust in a supreme being, namely God. Obviously the word goes beyond just its religious meaning, but it’s from this perspective that the female given name, Faith, originates as a so-called “virtue” name. The character described by this name is one that is authoritative, powerful, tough, tenacious, wealthy, a problem-solver, and an achiever. She certainly embodies all of those and more. Logan comes from a Gaelic surname appearing in both Ireland and Scotland. The etymology of the clan name is still up for debate, but I have found several theories circulating about. In Ireland, for instance, the surname is believed to have evolved from O'Leoghain meaning “descendent of the warrior”. The characteristics accompanying this name are that of a master builder, leader, large undertakings, confidence, discipline, and organization. He has been all of those and more. I know that Kyle and Brandy did not choose these names in an effort to predetermine their character or behavior. I also know that they have been given an environment and example that have led them to develop these things in their lives. There’s the clue to my encouragement and inspiration today. Parents, and to some degree, grandparents must take seriously what they teach and model. The great privilege of children and grandchildren must not be squandered. What we do matters. How we model our faith and commitment to Christ matters greatly. I am excited to have been a part of their lives. I pray each day it will have been a positive part.