Lately I've been thinking a lot about things new and old, so this seemed like the ideal subject for the inaugural post on my NEW blog - Comin Sense. Life seems to have its seasons for milestones. When we're very young, they come fast and furious - first crawl, first laugh, first word, first steps. Another burst of firsts comes in the teen years - first crush, first drive, first year of college. My oldest son is preparing now to depart for his freshman year at Berea College in Kentucky. And my wife and I are bracing ourselves for stage one of Empty Nest Syndrome. This will be a first for us. We've been greatly blessed to have a close relationship with our son and to watch him grow into manhood with the evidence of a heart transformed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. My wife has enjoyed the privilege of home schooling him for twelve years, and now he has a full scholarship and a world of opportunity ahead of him. New experiences, new challenges, new friendships, new information, new people and places will fill his life, impact his worldview, test and challenge his faith. Entrusting a child, now grown to young adulthood, to the care and protection of our Soveriegn God is a new, strange, exciting and terrifying experience for a parent. I don't know how a parent who lacks faith in the Divine Providence of the Triune God can do it. I'm so thankful for the Lord's grace in Ben's life, and for the opportunities that are being set before him. How exciting it will be to watch him as he begins to discern God's direction for his life and walk purposefully down the path the Lord chooses for him.
Time marches on. And Providence is the Master of Ceremonies. Last night I had the honor of preaching God's Word at the Reformed Presbyterian Home in Pittsburgh, and Ben went with me to the service. As we were leaving, he commented on how much I was going to enjoy it when I lived there someday! Maybe I'm older than I think! I only hope that when/if that day arrives, I will evidence the grace and beauty of the elderly saints who live in that wonderful place and whose constant prayer and faithful example shine like a bright light set high on a hill. My interactions with the residents who attended the service were a fresh reminder of the faithfulness of God to His covenant promises. "Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing" (Psalm 92:13-14).
