Ensign: To Sarah On Her Thirteenth Birthday

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 28 February 2019

Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

No, the date on today's Ensign is not wrong. I brought it out a day earlier than I usually do to both commemorate my daughter Sarah's seventh birthday as well as the next time it will be on Thursday, according to a perpetual calendar I consulted. That will be six years from now, and if my wife Martha and I think our kids Sarah and Jeffrey are a handful NOW … oh boy!

In addition to some small gestures today – a card, a birthday present – we're also hosting our first slumber party at our house this weekend with Sarah and three friends her age. While by the time she turns thirteen I don't expect she will have a child (see Hebrews 11:11 above, I REALLY don't want to be a grandparent for a few decades) Sarah's already in my eyes building a good foundation. We I pray help her and Jeffrey do that.

This parenting is not for sissies. And while I admit that we are not as … perfect or righteous teaching God's Word to our children as He asks us to be, citing Deuteronomy 11:19 as my example – “teach [God's words] to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” – that's easier than I thought it would be in one way.

Even though it's up to Martha and me (and ultimately ME, as the spiritual head of household – Ephesians 5:23-33 details this more) to make sure our children have the instruction and example they need in following God and His Word, we can see Godly character developing in them already. Of course, we never get to lay down our responsibility for them even when they're physically grown and gone …

I'm finishing this Ensign today shortly after returning from lunch with my daughter at her elementary school. I surprised her and many of her friends too, and as I hadn't had a school lunch in … well, longer than Sarah or her classmates have been alive it not only was a fantastic experience for me but also it's something I hope will stick in Sarah and her friends' heads for a long time. We've got to be there, even when inconvenient for us.

Sarah, just please do not come home conceiving seed in six years!

David

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with all of you in my address book, and I hope to be an encourager to action too! If you find that I’m not or you want me to get lost, just let me know – thank you!

Thank You, Lord, that we can come to you in prayer and that You provide for all our needs, even when we don’t know what they are. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence there and around the world.

Thank You, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service, both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You. I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.