Looking Beyond

I often reflect on how God is continually calling us to look beyond life's present circumstances and focus on what we were made for - namely, eternal life with Him!
These moments of reflection are typically spurred on by some present difficulty or challenge, and in my life in particular, they usually have something to do with raising kiddos, which has been the better part of my life for the last twenty-five years! 
Look beyond the sassy pants standing in front of you and remember to discipline to build her character, not to satisfy your ego, which she just bruised. Look beyond the work of yet another baby, to welcome the joy he will bring to your family and the world.  Look beyond another move and all the emotional fallout that will come with it, to the lifelong friends you will make and the experiences you will have. Look beyond the present so you can look forward to the fruits of your labor. God promises us that "we do not labor in vain," and oh, how that has comforted me!
Jody and I have always tried to take on the parenting struggles with the "end" in mind. While I have it on good authority that parenting never ends, we have come to the end of parenting two "children" who are now married and gainfully employed adults! Two weddings in one year is something I would never recommend, mostly because of the emotional toll it takes on the poor parents, but seeing this "end," was much harder than either of us thought it was going to be.
It is as if we finally got to the end of a race and suddenly realized we weren't ready for it to be over yet! Because, lets face it - while the race was painfully difficult at times, we really enjoyed it! In fact, this new race presents challenges we never expected - "Wait a minute...You are going to live across the country?!" Oh, how God has a sense of humor. How He is constantly giving us new ways to grow and appreciate the perspective of others (I'm sorry, Mom and Dad, for living across the country, and sometimes, the world, and not calling enough, and....well, you get the picture.)
Thankfully, we still have a house full of kids to keep us busy and five more to go before we have an "empty nest!"

Mr. and Mrs. Hayden Moore

Emily's new extended family

Our New Family! (with the new Mr. and Mrs. Ogea!)