(More) Blessings To An Unborn Child

In the above picture, Grandpa Hawley is reading and holding me and my first cousin, Dale, while my brother, Dave, and Wayne, Dale's brother, listen from behind. Dale would go on to be my college roommate!

We worked on one of my favorite memory verses in all five classes last week. All of my eighty students wrote The Blessing Of Aaron for a grade as a memory verse and repeated it on their test. Found in Numbers 6:24-26, God commanded the first high priest of Israel to use these words to bless his chosen people:

"The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
We spoke of the human need for approval and how parents can have such an effect on the self-worth of their children. We talked of bedtime rituals and how moms and dads can make their kids feel important and ease their fears. I told them about how our folks tucked us in when we were small, prayed with us, and kissed us good-night. With that discussion as background, I gave each student the assignment to pen a bedtime blessing to the child they will bring into the world in future years. I'll let some of them speak for me. Tonight's entries are all from 11th grade in my fourth period Gospels class and all are used with permission!

Dear son, I will always love you and support you no matter what. The Lord will always love you and forgive you in everything. I will always be proud of what you do. Remember to never give up because, even if you fail today, there is tomorrow, and the day after that; you have time to fix your mistakes. Be careful of who you surround yourself with. Be vigilant in following what the Lord says but acknowledge that you are human- you will make mistakes, but the Lord and I will always forgive you. I want you to know that the universe is your limit and nothing less, not the stars, not the moon, and not even the sky but everything is within your reach if you align yourself with the Lord. No matter what anyone says, you are strong and smart. I will always love you the most, of everyone. Luke

Dear Son, I want to start off my message by telling you to go through life with confidence. Keep your head up high. You should never care what people have to say unless it helps you or it is supportive. Some people in the world only want to hurt you. Identify these people and disregard anything they say to you as irrelevant. These people do not deserve to be in your life. Do what you want to do and be who you want to be, unless you hurt yourself or others in any way while doing it. Know that God will always be by your side and I will support you in everything you do. I hope I was able to give you a good childhood and that you had a happy upbringing; if I could not then I apologize. Know that you are in control of your life and there is never an event that will make you do anything- you always have a choice. Know that your father loves you. Dad (Richard) 

Dear son, Hey, I hope you had a great day today and if you didn't know, I'm always here for you. I love you with all of my heart and I will never leave your side no matter how bad it gets. You can look to me and the Lord for guidance. If you have a problem, talk to God about it. If anything throughout your day upsets or bothers you, know that I am here to listen to whatever you have to say. I will listen and give you the best advice I can. It doesn't matter if we are on bad terms or good terms, because I will love you unconditionally and so will the Lord. The Lord will be there for you at every single moment of your life. He will never leave your side, so you will never be alone. Even when it's dark, the Lord will be there with you. You should talk to him about anything you struggle with or want. Do not beg the Lord, but be grateful for what you have. Joseph

To my child I have never met I am now writing a blessing about you, but I am not sure if you will really be born in this world. I am not sure if I will be willing to have a child in the future. If you will really born, then I have something to tell you. No matter who your mother is, I hope you remember that your father came from an ancient country: China. He was born and grew up there, and it was the land that gave him the past. I don’t know where you will receive education in the future: it depends on my future development. I have no plans yet, but I hope you remember that when you were born in this world, you are a gift, a gift from God. If you are a person of faith, I hope you can restrain you with the Lord's words, rather than desire something from the Lord. You are not the continuation of my life; you are an independent individual, but born in this world through the body of your mother and me. I hope you can become an independent person. You should have your own thoughts and your own future, not limited by me or your mother. I hope that when you are old, you will look back on your life and you will not regret your inaction, you will not lose because of indecision, and you will not commit crimes because of greed. Even if your life is plain, I hope you are happy. The father you never met (Wenbin) 

From the time you are born into this world, you will be loved unconditionally by me. I will do my best to give you the best life that I can. You are a gift from God and should live your life in His likeness. Though we may argue and disagree, I always know that I will forever love and protect you. I will not let any harm be done to you and I will do my best to be a great role model for you. No matter what others will think of you, you are a special person and will do big things in life because God has a purpose laid out for you. Embrace your differences and be happy that you aren't like everyone else. Always keep your faith in God strong and don’t let others weaken your faith. When you are lost or down, I will always be there to help guide you through the tough times because I was once in your shoes. Noel

Dear beloved one, No matter what, your dad will always be there for you, support you all the time, lead you to be a person that contributes towards society. You are a white, blank sheet of paper when you come to this world. And I believe that when you are in the world, you are able to paint colorful drawings on it. I will give you the right pens to draw it, to color it. Remember, follow your heart, draw what you believe is good. Stay away from the ones that may pollute your drawing, get closer to the better drawers, learn from them, learn with them, and become better. Love each other, treat others fairly, be kind. Also, follow the Lord, listen to His word, read His word. When you are lost, read the Bible, find your way under the guidance of the Lord. The Lord will show you righteousness and always be your teacher.  Daniel

My dear child, I love you so much and will be the most supportive person that you have ever come across. Just know you can and will accomplish what you put your mind to and always to put God first . There are many things to say but there is the most important. No matter how bad I am down, I will always make sure you are good and make sure you are happy. You are my number one and I won't let anyone come between us . Put your trust and faith in God because He is there for you always. I will raise you the way my parents raised me but even better. I will challenge you to become a better person each and every day. I want to make sure most definitely that you know you are loved by God and me. You can be anything you want.) Jalen

God bless, Steve (Son of Roger and Nelda Luke 18:1