2nd Day of Kindergarten

This morning I dropped Jaden off at school for his second day of Kindergarten. (In classic dad form, I'm continuing to strategize the least-traffic & most time-efficient route; I think I may have determined that this morning!)

This is ALL new for Jessie and me. We're dropping off our little-but-big boy at school. Leaving him in the hands of teachers and school administrators! Yeah, I know--nearly every child goes through these hands but it's kind of a wild experience as a first-time parent to release a child into them! A true rite of passage. (I just wonder if it's more about the parent than the kid!)

Jaden's doing great and having a lot of fun. He told me yesterday the name of a new friend. His teacher is fantastic. (We already knew her; she attends our church!) Still, it's a bit emotional to let go of a season that is now over. Jaden's no longer not in school.

In all of this I am reminded: Jaden isn't mine (and Jessie's) for eternity. He belongs to God. We're not raising him to be primarily our son. We're raising him to prepare him for the life God has destined him to live; we're raising him to be a son of the King. (That's Jesus--not Elvis =)

Children are a blessing from the Lord. And as long as we breathe, Jessie and I plan to declare with gratefulness and joy, "Jaden is our boy!" God grants us that privilege. But we'll also remember that it's not all about us. We'll have many more of these opportunities to release him into new seasons of his future in God.