“Do you ever get stuck?”
Julie and I have had a lot of conversations about how different we are. I like video games. She likes long walks. I like action adventure movies. She likes “Jesus Baldwin” movies. She likes Downton Abbey. I like…okay, that one doesn’t count but you get the point.
Yesterday Lydia left for Camp Del-Haven. She is a volunteer counselor this week. I can’t even describe how proud I am of her. She is growing up into an amazing woman of God. I really have no reason to complain. Still, she is a teenager and prone to poor decisions. Last week she decided to color her hair.
Like I said, “She decided to COLOR her hair.” If you know Lydia at all this won’t surprise you. What none of us stopped to consider was the impact this may (or may not) have on her opportunity to minister to the underprivileged kids at the camp.
As Julie dropped Lydia off at the camp yesterday, they were both hit with the reality of how this extreme change in appearance might be perceived. Like any good mom, Julie became concerned. After she got home she shared her concerns with me. I told her I had not thought about it either. A few minutes later I received a text message from Julie:
“I wish I could stop worrying about Lydia’s hair. Do you ever get ‘stuck’? Grrr”
My response was short:
“Constantly. Just about different stuff.”
Julie and I are different in all kinds of ways. The list I gave above is just the beginning. We are very similar in plenty of other areas, and no area more than our propensity to worry. We don’t generally worry about the same things, but we do worry.
I don’t worry about what Camp Del-Haven will think of Lydia’s hair, but I do worry about how to pay for her orthodontics. I worry she won’t drive safely. I worry that she spends too much time online. I worry that I’ll make some big mistake that will cause her to stumble in her faith, and turn away from God. I’m afraid to discipline her because I want her to like me all the time. I worry she won’t pick a Godly man to fall in love with.
Do I get stuck? Oh yeah, I get stuck. I get stuck all the time. I don’t have very many answers. Even when I try to give some answers, I’m not very confident in them. I’m really don’t feel very equipped to handle all of this.
I’m just a dad trying to get it right. Julie is just a mom trying to get it right. We both love our kids very much, and sometimes it’s all just hard and a little overwhelming.
Lydia is an amazing young lady. If Camp Del-Haven has the ability to look past outside appearances they will see what we see. For most people it doesn’t take very long to fall in love with Lydia.
Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.