Growing Up

April 28, 2008 in Random Thoughts 4

As some of you have heard, our oldest daughter, Brittany, has been approved into a Student Exchange program. She will be going to Costa Rica for a year (actually, a full school year, which is really ten months). She received the approval just before church began on Thursday night. It really took me for a loop. I recovered, but am still going through a lot of emotions over the idea. 

I know what you’re thinking. Did you not work out the emotions during the application stage? No. I didn’t. You see, I always had an excuse. First, it was the cost. We certainly didn’t have the finances to pay for her to go to another country for an entire school year. So, Brit discovered that there was a scholarship fund. She applied. So then, I figured that there would be so many people who apply for the scholarship program that she wouldn’t be accepted. She was. And that’s where we are now at.

We figured she wouldn’t be leaving until the end of August. You know, school starts in September, and so that would give us the summer with her. Well, today we find out that might not be the case either. It now looks like she will be leaving the middle of July. JULY! My heart started racing again at the thought of her leaving so soon.

Oh, did I mention that she is only 15. You know, my baby girl? My little kid. My Bert. Gone for a year!!! To another country!!!

And yet, what an opportunity for her. When I put aside my personal feelings — my daddy feelings - and just think about the opportunity, I get very excited for her. This will change her life. She will experience things that I certainly never had the chance to experience. And who knows, what the Lord will do in her heart during this year.

Releasing our kids to experience life is never easy. As a pastor, I speak often about trusting God and this is one of those times when I am required to walk the talk. Do I trust God with my baby girl? I believe I do. 

I plan to write about the experience of getting ready for her to leave on this blog (from time to time). Perhaps it might help others who are coming close to the stage of letting their children begin to fly. 

  • Carrie

    Do I trust God with my baby girl? That is really beautiful. I hope one day just to have that mind set. She will grow into a wonderful woman with all this experience behind her. Her view of the world will never be the same again. Its all pretty amazing. When I was her age I wanted so much to go work on a kabuts in Isreal — I thought my life would END if I did not; instead I ended up on some small island off the coast of Africa for 3 years at the age of 17 — the stream of life does NOT always take us were we planned. BUT land we do!

  • JC

    Our first born has gone away to college this year in North Carolina. I miss her and the dynamic she adds to our family. I am also excited for her as I see her maturing into a beautiful woman of God. It has not only helped her to mature, but it has served to remind me of what my wife has been telling me for years. “they will grow up fast and be gone before you know it”. Well some days that is not soon enough, LOL. This experience has changed how I spend time with the ones still at home. The one thing that concerns me the most is she is studying to be a pastor. It is a calling and not a vocation. I have heard a study that says that burn out amongst pastors is extremely high, with it being sometimes a very thankless job. I guess it depends on who you are ultimately working for.
    May God bless Brittany , Rob and the rest of your family.

  • http://www.bikerschurch.com bikerrob

    thanks guys … but she’s 15!!! :-)

  • JC

    She may be 15 today,but it will seem like tomorrow she turned 21 and is married with her first born. Trust me it seems that the older we get the more accelerated time becomes. Heck when I was a kid tomorrow afternoon’s trip to the beach seemed like next week, and now that I am older than half a century it seems like next week has come as fast as tomorrow. That having been said I would not be running out to buy one of those baby name books :-)