may the four winds blow you safely home

that line is from the song "franklin's tower"...there are humorous dicussions regarding what the song is about. robert hunter, the song's lyricist is normally SILENT on the possible meaning of his songs...but he broke his silence about this one. perhaps it was all of the funny hypotheses...i don't know.

but he said this song was written when his son was just a boy. it was about hoping and trusting that the kid would turn out alright (and all right)...there is a bit of resignation in hunter's song...kind of like "well, fate, i trust you...bring this kid home".

there's some of that in us, too. we must trust God for our children's well being. but there is something more...and that is what we've "put into" our children during their lives. how it is important to us to teach and talk about the things of God with them. in formal settings and in informal settings. during the (hopefully) occasional lecture and when they are asking some questions. when they've messed up and when they've done well. when we've messed up and when we've done well.

so, i pray for our families...those with young children, those with teenagers, those with grown children...

i pray God would keep our children safe and unspoiled by this world. i pray that, even now, God would bless them with knowlege and light up their hearts that they might know they are His. that they might see Him and know Him and love Him and follow Him. and be kept by Him all of thier days.

and i pray for us, that God would use our example to speak truth to their lives. to speak grace to their lives. to speak holiness to thier lives. to speak love to their lives. that He would cause them to somehow forget our failings (hopefully because we've asked them for forgiveness) and remember our strengths. 

i pray God that He would work wonders in the lives of our children. Amen.