Happy Birthday, Aaron!

 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).

 

Another birthday devotional today… My youngest son, Aaron, is 37! Mary took this photo of us on the campus of Georgetown University in 2019 when we were visiting with him. It was a pleasant walk even though the temperature was warm. There weren’t a lot of students on campus as it was between summer sessions and the beginning of the fall semester. Like so many colleges and universities across our country this year, it would have been considered crowded compared to 2020. So much has changed in just a short period of time. And that brings me to a simple truth I have come to recognize from this year and the reading I have chosen.

 

Aaron, as well as David and Kyle, have been a great encouragement to me through the years; though this year they have been more so. It has been especially difficult during this year for so many people in our country. While we have been challenged with some health issues apart from Covid-19, we have not seen the crises that others have. For that we are indeed very grateful. However, I am reminded with each of their enjoinders to “be safe” that I am “not put to shame when I speak with my enemies at the gates” (v. 5).

 

That reference is a bit foreign to most of us. We don’t gather at the gates to the city for conversation with our peers. Social media has taken up that mantle. The principle is the same. When we face challenges in life, which all of us will, especially as we age a bit, it is important to have a strong arsenal to rely upon. Children are that arsenal for us to use in defense of our well-being. Just this last week in a text exchange about me going to make a visit with my youngest brother, I was reminded of the appropriate precautions to take… again. I might resent that if I were not aware that this is precisely the way God intends a family to work.

 

So, today… Happy Birthday, Aaron! And, thanks for being a strong arrow in my quiver! Also, for those of you who are children (maybe even nearing middle-age), give your folks a call and encourage them. Express your love to them. Mend any fence that needs mending. Above all, be their strong arrows!