On January 13th, 1998 God presented my wife and I with one of the most precious gifts short of salvation that He could give us. It was on that date, 19 years ago, my daughter, Tela, was born. We have four children and she was our second. All of them changed our lives greatly and our all gifts more precious than anything, but today I want to talk about my daughter.
Behold, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. -Psalm 127:3-5
Children are a gift from God and are a sign of his favor. They are a gift, not a possession. Children are loaned to us to raise and teach of God’s way and God will use them for what He created them for. But they are a gift that we can treasure nonetheless.
Tela was born with an attitude and has kept the feisty spirit throughout her entire life. She is beautiful and strong. Independent, but loves her family. She and I have very similar personalities so at times we can disagree strongly, yet I know that the love I have for her and she for me transcends all arguments. It is like the unconditional love that God has for us. That love that he had for us, even before we were born. That love strong enough that He died for us, even while we were still sinners.
Just the same, the love I have for my daughter is as strong as one man can love his children, as I love all 4 of mine. As she grows into the young woman and in the not so distant future goes off to start her own family, she will always know that her father here on earth loves her and that her Father in heaven loves her completely and eternally.
She recently started a blog, and while she is in the beginning phases of writing and growing, I am proud of what she accomplishes and am looking forward to see where she goes. Check her writing out at LautzOfLife.
So to end this, I want to speak directly to her as I know she usually reads my posts. Your mother and I love you with all our hearts and you have made us so proud of the young woman you’ve grown into. Never lose that spirit that make you so you and go after your dreams with vigor. Happy 19th birthday pumpkin!
Exceptional Christian 