Straight Arrows - Pt 1

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:3-5 ESV).

Happy Birthday, Aaron! After Mary was in labor for three days the doctor walked into the room of Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler, Texas, on October 20, 1983 and simply announced that the baby could only be born through a cesarean section. We were not prepared for that, but the doctor assured us that it was a simple surgical procedure for both mom and baby. Certainly that was debatable, but it did ease our anxiety. A short while after that, Mary was taken to the surgical suite and Aaron was born. And, good to his word, all was well with both he and Mary. It was a great day indeed. Like the psalmist declares in our reading, it was a great “reward.” I have counseled many parents who have had incredible challenges in their families and each time as I helped them navigate their journey, I found more and more reason to be thankful for our children. Of course, we have faced various challenges with each of them, but they have each proven to be inspirations and blessings to our lives. They are more than that according to our Bible reading today though. The psalmist says they are like “arrows in the hand of a warrior.” I’ve thought about that through the years. So, let me use today as an excuse to encourage all of you who are facing the daunting task of parenting in our culture. So in the next few days we will begin to look at the construction of this image of the psalmist. Any arrow to be useful must have a shaft, fletching (feathers), a nock (the groove at the end of the arrow into which the bow string fits), and a point. If all of these four are made well, the result is an effective arrow, beautifully designed for impact. These four qualities give us four clear goals to pursue as we craft our children. Nearly every issue or trap our children will encounter can be linked to a young person's need in one of four areas. First, we begin the crafting of an arrow with the shaft. Obviously, since every other part of the arrow must attach to the shaft, this part of the arrow is a lot like a child's identity. If a child's self concept is warped, not straight and strong, his direction in life may be wobbly. Every person is born with a unique, divinely-imprinted identity. If we want to properly guide our children to a healthy self identity, we must acknowledge and support God’s design. We ought to communicate with them the essential message that they are made in the image of God, and are valued above all other creations.