One of the hardest things about being a parent is allowing your kids to make decisions and do things on their own, allowing them more freedom to make choices and live with their consequences. Sometimes you see wisdom and maturity beyond your expectations, sometimes you aren’t sure… but trust the Lord anyway. This week there were two examples of this in our family revolving around our son J-11. J-11 is an amazing kid with amazing gifts and talents (all our kids are like that… 😉 ) that he is just learning about.

Yesterday I sat in on a gathering of 70 somethings where Jonathan and the rest of the Amaraillo kids shared about their experiences on the mission trip. The videos and the sharing were incredible and really brought out how amazingly God used these 11 and 12 years old. I was so proud of Lisa and Jonathan. J-11 was so touched by the neediness of the kids they served. He also had the opportunity to share about leading his best friend to Christ the day after the mission trip at church and how it was the training for the mission trip that made it possible. I remember tha day so well… he was running late in rendezvousing with us and I was getting irritated and sent T-8 to the library to see what was going on… When T-8 told us, asking for further instruction, I couldn’t believe it… I was really humbled… and yet J-11… our quiet J-11 was doing this amazing thing… My prayer throughout the trip was that God will show J-11 his power through an experience like this and he did it right in front of our eyes. Back at the banquet for sexagenarians, one of the ladies said she was specifically praying for Jonathan(they passed out wristband before the trip as reminders) and how touched she was by what he shared… Wow!! God was using my Son… I was so proud of J-11 but more reminded of God’s faithfulness. Our son is growing up.

Earlier in the week, I was reminded of the same things in a different way. J-11 has been a Boy Scout for the last year and a half. He learned a lot about himself and what it takes to be a proactive leader through this experience. It was fun watching him grow after almost every camping trip. He also seemed to have a good time with the guys in the troop… He also had the privilege of leading some of his peers in his first few months of scouting.  The only thing he consistently voiced was that he really disliked camping and the monthly camping was difficult for him and he wanted to leave the scouts.

The Boy Scouts rank system is built into two major sections. The first three ranks teach the boys the basics of scouting. The latter three ranks teach the boys more advanced skills and how to lead. I told Jonathan that it was important to at least finish the first half to get the basics. So, if once he finished this first class rank, he still felt the same way he had the freedom to leave, provided he found some other similar activities to replace it.

J-11 completed his First Class Rank this week. According to J-11, Monday marked the last meeting he planned on being a part of. (may we can convince him to go to the awards ceremony to get his badge) I was saddened some… I was really enjoying the experience and loved seeing his growth through the experience and the friends he was making. Still, I respect and feel like I need to honor his decision and his right to choose. This really marks an important time in our relationship as he seems to be making the first steps toward the independence of manhood and adulthood. Wow!