I Am A Child Of God

I was talking to a friend at church today about this song. She mentioned how she felt when she would hear it years ago, returning to church as a young adult after her family's long inactivity. She said, "it stung" to hear the words. I knew exactly what she meant before she even explained herself.

"I am a child of God, and He has sent me here, Has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear."

Her comment was, "You know, not everyone comes to homes with parents who are kind and dear." When you hear those words, and you are not one of the fortunate ones who had such parents, it does indeed sting. Hers were my thoughts exactly. She has come to the same place as I have, though, in her thinking. She described how she explains it to her children: "I have done so much better than my parents did with me, and I expect you to do much better than I have with your children and family." That's what I have always hoped, too.

And I've been fortunate enough to see that hope come to fruition. I now have two wonderful grandsons, and they have indeed been sent to "parents kind and dear." They are blessed in this regard, and I hope they are able to see and appreciate this good fortune of theirs as they grow older. I remind them all the time, as I find myself saying, "Aren't you lucky you have such a good Mom?" or "Isn't it nice that your Dad takes such good care of you?" I want them to be aware that they are indeed blessed to have such good parents.

And now when I hear "I Am A Child Of God," my initial thoughts are not what they used to be. My first thought is not of myself, but of those boys, and what a blessing they are in my life. And how blessed they have been to have been sent to "parents kind and dear." Time does indeed heal, if not all, at least many wounds.