Parental Pride

John 1:6-9

⁶ "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."

I have been thinking a lot about my unborn daughter today. She has been especially active and I have enjoyed feeling her move around as I wrote a paper and sat in church. I feel so blessed to have her within me.

Lately I’ve been having problems sleeping, so I’ve begun daydreaming until I fall asleep (counting sheep doesn’t work for me). As I lay in bed last night trying to fall asleep I imagined what my daughter will be like. Not what she will be like as a baby, but as an adult. I dreamt up her wedding, and prayed for her future husband. I dreamt of what she may look like, and how much she will love her daddy. But mostly I imagined how she will love God.

I was just daydreaming, but I can’t describe the pride I felt as I imagined our daughter giving her heart to the Lord and telling others about him. It made me wonder about how much joy Zechariah and Elizabeth must have felt watching their son grow.

This is the same Zechariah that temporarily lost his voice after doubting Gabriel’s proclamation that he would have a son. I know he and Elizabeth would have been more than proud of any child, but their child was prophesied about as the one who will clear the way for the Messiah. According to John, he was there to testify and witness about the Messiah. He was so popular people actually thought he was the Messiah.

I wonder about the pride they felt as their son learned the Jewish traditions. I also wonder if they got to see him as an adult. I wonder if they were there when he baptized the true Messiah. If so I can’t imagine the pride they felt as he lowered his earthly cousin, but his heavenly savior, into the water and raised his sinless body from the river.

I wonder how often Elizabeth prayed that her son wouldn’t get caught up in his own popularity. I wonder if she ever had to remind him that he was not the important one, but God was. I wonder if she ever felt inferior while raising the man who was to testify to the living Messiah.

I am so excited that I get to pray for my daughter. I’ve already begun praying for her salvation. I can’t wait until the day she tells me that Jesus is living within her. I know that moment will be one of the greatest moments of my life, and I feel blessed that I get to teach my daughter about Christ, and live an example of a Christian life for her.

Dear God, thank you for giving us parents to learn from in the bible. Help us to remember that the greatest gift we can ever give a child is a personal relationship with You. Thank you so much for calling us to share Your love with the world. We love you! Amen