a post on Isaac
Our son Isaac is 15. He will be 16 in just a few short weeks. Of all of our kids, he may be the most mysterious and hard to understand. He is quiet. He's a thinker more than a talker. He is very, very smart. He should be a leader but every time an opportunity presents itself to lead, he says no thanks. He doesn't want the pressure, or the responsibility. He is very much like his mama.
In December, he had a car accident with the free car his grandparents gave us so that all the drivers in our house could drive. He spun out on black ice at 7am, on the way to early morning lifting. He totaled the car and got shook up pretty badly but was otherwise unharmed, thank the Lord. I just don't know what I would do with my quiet, present Isaac. Since the accident we have had to share vehicles so that everyone could get where they need to be every day. His high school is about 15 minutes away in another town. He has early morning lifting for football and open gym for soccer and soon for baseball as well. He has a school permit. Soon he will have a license. We are looking for another car for him.
This morning, one of his teachers sent a email to him and to us, thanking him for his patience and kindness to another student in Bible class who has some special needs. The other boy was struggling and apparently Isaac helped him out. Quietly. Purposefully. It was so nice of the teacher to thank him, and include us in that thanks or we would have never known. Isaac does not use very many words in a day. If he is talking it is good to listen....or miss it. It makes this mama's heart so proud to know that my big lug of a teen boy can show such kindness and sensitivity to a classmate, without being asked. He saw a need and he met that need. I have been on his case for a couple years now, to find his "thing" that he can feel passionate about, and sow into, that "thing" that is from God and bigger than his own worldly satisfactions...and he hasn't been able to find it. I have offered to take him to Liberia, or Haiti or India, to go serve on an Indian reservation or at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter together. Nothing seemed to get him excited. Today, I think I learned that a clear and present need sparks his interest in a quiet way. No need for announcements in church or fund-raising, just doing the day and doing it well, helping when he can ( kind of like his dad does every day). He may decide he finds a "thing" someday and if he does, I'll be all over it. If not, I will just trust that God can use him in the mundane things of everyday life....and that's just as good.
Last night he told me he needed to bring bars to school on Friday. Ok. So....how many? And does it have to be bars or can it be cookies or something? Today he texted me from school. I need 25 bars, mom. 25? Why 25? That's like 2 pans plus one bar. He said, "just make 2 pans and I just won't eat one". I asked if I could get cookies from the bakery instead. I had a full work day today, and baking was not on the agenda. (I hate to bake. Love to cook. Hate to bake.) He said, "well maybe donuts then". Um. no. donuts are expensive.
I raced to the store before preschool carpool pick up at 3:15 and got stuff for 2 different kinds of bars that wouldn't be too much work to make. (toll house bars and scotcharoos, of course) I sent Roger and Precious to the ball game where Isaac already is. I made a homemade chicken veggie rice skillet for the rest of us because Claire and Jeremiah are still sick with Influenza and Josiah didn't need to be at a ball game tonight. Then I made bars. And more bars. I washed dishes and pans. And more dishes. And pans. These daggum bars better turn out. They came out of the oven looking kind of dark. I hope I didn't mess them up. These are just high school kids, right? They can't be too critical?
ugh.
In December, he had a car accident with the free car his grandparents gave us so that all the drivers in our house could drive. He spun out on black ice at 7am, on the way to early morning lifting. He totaled the car and got shook up pretty badly but was otherwise unharmed, thank the Lord. I just don't know what I would do with my quiet, present Isaac. Since the accident we have had to share vehicles so that everyone could get where they need to be every day. His high school is about 15 minutes away in another town. He has early morning lifting for football and open gym for soccer and soon for baseball as well. He has a school permit. Soon he will have a license. We are looking for another car for him.
This morning, one of his teachers sent a email to him and to us, thanking him for his patience and kindness to another student in Bible class who has some special needs. The other boy was struggling and apparently Isaac helped him out. Quietly. Purposefully. It was so nice of the teacher to thank him, and include us in that thanks or we would have never known. Isaac does not use very many words in a day. If he is talking it is good to listen....or miss it. It makes this mama's heart so proud to know that my big lug of a teen boy can show such kindness and sensitivity to a classmate, without being asked. He saw a need and he met that need. I have been on his case for a couple years now, to find his "thing" that he can feel passionate about, and sow into, that "thing" that is from God and bigger than his own worldly satisfactions...and he hasn't been able to find it. I have offered to take him to Liberia, or Haiti or India, to go serve on an Indian reservation or at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter together. Nothing seemed to get him excited. Today, I think I learned that a clear and present need sparks his interest in a quiet way. No need for announcements in church or fund-raising, just doing the day and doing it well, helping when he can ( kind of like his dad does every day). He may decide he finds a "thing" someday and if he does, I'll be all over it. If not, I will just trust that God can use him in the mundane things of everyday life....and that's just as good.
Last night he told me he needed to bring bars to school on Friday. Ok. So....how many? And does it have to be bars or can it be cookies or something? Today he texted me from school. I need 25 bars, mom. 25? Why 25? That's like 2 pans plus one bar. He said, "just make 2 pans and I just won't eat one". I asked if I could get cookies from the bakery instead. I had a full work day today, and baking was not on the agenda. (I hate to bake. Love to cook. Hate to bake.) He said, "well maybe donuts then". Um. no. donuts are expensive.
I raced to the store before preschool carpool pick up at 3:15 and got stuff for 2 different kinds of bars that wouldn't be too much work to make. (toll house bars and scotcharoos, of course) I sent Roger and Precious to the ball game where Isaac already is. I made a homemade chicken veggie rice skillet for the rest of us because Claire and Jeremiah are still sick with Influenza and Josiah didn't need to be at a ball game tonight. Then I made bars. And more bars. I washed dishes and pans. And more dishes. And pans. These daggum bars better turn out. They came out of the oven looking kind of dark. I hope I didn't mess them up. These are just high school kids, right? They can't be too critical?
ugh.
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