In the beginning there was...Pt. 2
I want to be a great man.
I am a good husband.
I want to be a great husband
I am a mediocre follower of Christ.
I need to be a better follower.
Preparing for this journey to House of Hope I have to take inventory on who I am and where I am. I felt, as an American, I had become a fairly decent person. I knew how to live and be productive and successful at work, home, and in relationships. For the most part being a male in America is one of the easiest things you can do, and I was having a fairly good go at it. Prior to November 2005 I was confident that I would be able to make the transition for being a male in America to being a male in Africa.
Naftali, the father at House of Hope, was going to aide me in this. I would watch him, follow his lead, and learn from him. In November 2005 Naftali unexpectedly passed away. Naftali set the male example to the children at House of Hope; he was a great man, likened to Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia. How am I supposed to replace Aslan?
I’m not.
I am scared. I would like to point out that I haven’t lost my faith in Christ’s plan for me. I am confident I can “do it”. But I don’t want to just “do it”, like I’ve done everything else in my life. I want be great. I want to help raise these children to adults that Naftali would be proud of, adults who will embrace children who came from the same place they did, and they will strive to give them a warm place to grow, to make them whole.
This is where I am:
Hope.
posted by Michael & Tammi at 3:14 PM
1 Comments:
Michael, there are not many forums for honestly between friends like us, with friendships shrouded in sarcasm. But I want to push that aside for a moment - then the curtain can slip closed again.
God is going to make you into a wonderful father. I have seen the reflection of God in you, and he is an even better model than Naftali. I imagine that's who Naftali learned from. I love you as a brother, and a true friend.
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