Joshua's Last Kiss

The other night as I tucked my son into bed I was flooded with emotion due to a thought.

I had just finished our nightly routine.  We had read a book, we'd read a Bible story, we'd prayed and we'd sung "Be Thou My Vision".  It was time for him to go to sleep.  Before I leave his room I kiss him and say, "I love you, Jesus loves you, close your eyes and go to sleep."  I do this routine every night that I'm home to put him to bed.

As I kissed him two or three times I had a thought.  This thought was not very pleasant despite the fact that I was enjoying putting my eldest to bed.

The thought was this: someday, sooner that I want, my son won't want kisses from his dad anymore.

I know my dad showered me with kisses just like I do with Joshua.  Joshua loves getting attacked with kisses.  He loves kisses on hurt spots.  He loves giving me kisses.  But all that will end.

I don't remember it very vividly and I'm not sure my exact age but I do remember my dad kissing me when I was in high school.  I remember him coming up and kissing me on my forehead.  I also remember thinking, "What on earth was that?  That was weird."

As I bent over and kissed my son in his bed, as I had the realization that Joshua kisses are going to end sooner rather than later, I thought of that weird kiss my dad gave me in high school and all the sudden it wasn't so weird.  How often will I look at my growing son and want to hold him, tickle him and kiss him like I used to?

I want my son to grow and mature into a man.  I don't want him to stay little, but I don't want to miss kissing my little boy.  I don't want to miss out on the unadulterated affections of his current age.

"Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

This verse is about the fleeting nature of life.  We simply don't live long.  And if the days of our lives are short, how much shorter are these days with our children!

Life with little ones is hectic.   It is exhausting sometimes.  There are times when bedtime can't come quickly enough.  Times when all we want is for them to be unconscious so we can sit down uninterrupted.  But the day is fast approaching when I'll look at that man who used to be my little boy and wish he'd say, "Daddy, let's snuggle" and I'd give him kisses until he giggled.

"Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

  

"This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Lord, help us all, especially us parents, to number our days aright.  Help us not to miss out on the moments that we'll desperately want back later.  Help us to remember that the day that you have made for us to enjoy today is not yesterday or tomorrow but today.