For My Son

I watched you my son
From the corner of my eye
You played in our yard
Throwing rocks in the sky

Your little machine
On it you would play
You’d say look at me daddy
Then be on your way

You are off to create
Dig and explore
Never quite finished
Always ready for more.

Its a curious sight
And you might wonder why
I don’t run and play
Or throw you up really high.

As you’ve learned to crawl,
Stand up and walk
I struggled with the latter
Now its a chore just to talk

But that won’t hold me back
Not in one little way
I’m always around
Even if I can’t actually play

To watch you create
is such a fascinating sight
While you struggle to lift
things with all of your might

There isn’t a thing
That can slow your heart down
Nothing too big to tackle
or clobber to the ground.

When I was your age
I set out to be strong
To me that meant muscle
But now I know I was wrong

Real strength isn’t measured
By the things we can lift
It’s not in our speed
Or some athletic gift

Instead I’ve been taught
The best strength of all
Is not in our muscles
Or our ambitions call

It isn’t the amount
Of rocks we can lift
Work we can do
Or wealth we can gift

I’ll put it this way
There are times you might wish
That you had a dad who
Could take you to fish.

To throw you on his shoulders
And carry you all day
To lift the heavy things
And throw them out of the way.

You might look around
The big rocks that you see
I lifted and moved them
Yep, that was me.

But as one strength has left
Another has come
If you learn anything from me
Please listen my son.

You’ll hear people say
I believe this or that
But belief can be fleeting
Like wind with a hat.

When beliefs though are tested
As mine surely has been
They turn to convictions
Or dissolve in the wind.

It all comes back to Jesus
A name many confuse
He’s been slandered, degraded
Lied about and abused.

Its His Lordship for me
That saved me from disease
Given me hope for a future
and put me at ease.

Its His Love with no end
And grace truley for all
There’s none more loving
Please listen for His call.

His promise of peace
And His promise of the Spirit,
Please don’t get so busy
That you don’t stop to hear it.

I by no means am perfect
I never will be
But whats inside my heart,
I want you to see.

Please never see me
The way some people seem to
By looking so sadly saying
”Oh, I pray God blesses you.”

He already has
In more ways than one
One of my greatest blessings ever
Is to call you my son.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV