Taylor, You Make Me Proud!

Today is a difficult day for me. Today my son, Taylor, graduates from Pinson Valley High School.

I have written enough about my son on my daily blog for you to know already how proud I am of him. Taylor is such a fine young man. Yes, we’ve had our moments, as do all parents, yet through it all he still makes us proud.

I began my morning by glancing through a very special Bible that sits on my credenza in front of me. Today I looked for and found the following journal entry:

August 30, 1989
9:59 PM
Eight days after Taylor was born Vonda and I held a dedication service for him—"You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me” (Exodus 22:29).

I remember that evening very well. We were living in a small, two-bedroom farmhouse on the outskirts of Hattiesburg, MS. The addition of Taylor to our family made that house very small.

Vonda wanted Taylor to sleep in a crib in our room his first few weeks in this new world. It was my job to retrieve him from his crib, change his diaper, place him in front of his mother for his feeding and then return him to the crib. Vonda performed the most important job by feeding him. That particular night, before returning him to his crib, I laid Taylor across our bed, and read the passage from Exodus 22:29. Then Vonda and I literally gave Taylor over to the Lord. The significance of that night was that it was his eighth day of life.

My eyes are welling up with tears even now while reflecting on that moment. It was a solemn occasion in our young married life. Little did I realize 17 years ago what that dedication service would entail today.

We voiced to the Lord He could do anything He wanted to do with our son. We acknowledged the tremendous responsibility He had given us. We prayed for the blood of Jesus Christ to protect Taylor. We literally placed Taylor in the hands of God. We admitted we were only stewards of his life, not owners. God owned Taylor, we were the parents God selected to teach and train Taylor.

I know my days of parenting Taylor are nowhere near complete. Vonda and I still have many challenges and tests coming our way. And, I still look forward to teaching him new things about life and about God. However, I can say without reservation, that we believe our young son is one of the finest men we know. He is a devoted follower of Christ. He is learning to love the Lord His God with all his heart, soul, mind and body more and more each day. He is polite. He has a good work ethic. He is studious, and he has a good start on what we believe will be a very successful life. Sure, his mother’s stubborn streak occasionally flares up in a conversation, but we still love him. Yes, he periodically says or does something disrespectful. Yet we still love him and pray God’s best over him.

Tonight my son takes another big step in life as he crosses over from being a high school student toward becoming a college student. Tonight he takes the next road that will lead him closer to young adulthood.

To say his mother and I want God’s best for him would be no small exaggeration. To say Vonda and I expect the best from him would an understatement. Today, all I want to say is that I love my son and I am proud of him. His mother and I are, among all parents, most blessed.

God bless you, Taylor. You make me proud.