The Three Words Your Child Longs To Hear From You

194 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:2 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Such a warm personal touch in this letter as Paul refers to his disciple, or mentoree if you will, as his beloved son. Can there be higher praise from a spiritual mentor to one whom he has taken under his wings? Mentorship has become a buzzword in Christian circles as it concerns the discipleship of new believers, and it is an important part of spiritual growth for the purpose of passing the faith along in all it's doctrinal purity. We will read about this in 2Ti 2:2, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” I wonder how many “spiritual sons” Timothy was able to speak these same words to? How many felt that warm glow of healthy acceptance that comes with this declaration of fondness? “My beloved son.” These three words are powerful words of affirmation and not only spiritual sons and daughters need to hear them, but our own children long to hear them and need to hear them from mom and dad. God the Father spoke these words to His beloved Son Jesus on two occasions, at His baptism, and at His transfiguration. My question to you is, “Have you ever spoken them to your child? See if you can identify with my own personal story. I grew into an adult thinking that I didn't need anything from my father. Who cares what that alcohol addicted, abusive, person thought of me anyway? But a funny thing happened on my way to shoving him out of my life. Long story short, God convinced me to work on restoring my relationship with my father, through forgiveness and teaching me to dwell on the good things my father had done through the years. It took time, but in the end we had a good relationship, and I'll never forget the day, that I was doing some yard work for him that he was no longer capable of doing. At one point he turned to me and said, “Duane, you are a good son.” I wasn't prepared for what happened next. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest. It was the words I had longed to hear from him all my life! Friends, don't let your sons and daughters wait their entire lives to hear those words from you! Tell them, “My beloved son, (or daughter,” I am well pleased with you! They're waiting! Don't delay!