The Worth of a Child...

     Children are blessed gifts from God (Psalm 127:3), and I have no question of their priceless worth.  On the news we have seen reports of the beautiful Miss Utah fumbling on a question asked of her.  (I have sputtered for words more times than I can count.)  Last night I attended my son's baseball game, and he was struck out during his first at bat.  As he went to sit down, I saw him scanning the stands for me.  What did I do? Smile at him.  I gave him a nod and a thumbs up to let him know it was okay.  I knew that he would have another time at bat, and he needed to shake it off.  The next time he did get a base hit.

     My point? Let's get back to the worth of a child.  I don't know anything about Miss Utah, but I do know that her worth can not be measured by one response, and I wish her the best in the future.

     "The Strength of a Man" is a fabulous poem that honors the men in our lives, and the situations above lead me to write the following in the same style:

The Worth of a Child

The worth of a child is not projected on a scoreboard, 

but projected on the faces of those enjoying his or her company.

The worth of a child is not seen in numerous first place trophies,

but in making that decision to put God Almighty first in his  or her life.

The worth of a child is not seen in the power of a pitch,

but in the power and the patience of his or her prayer.

The worth of a child is not gauged by an applause-filled trip around the bases,

but in the humble and graceful steps of a life lived for Jesus.

The worth of a child is not seen in a worn-out baseball glove, 

but in the withered and worn-out pages in his or her Bible.

 

Finally, the worth of a child is not measured by a set of batting stats, 

but it is mercifully measured by a Heavenly Father 

who is filled with love for His marvelous creation.

So, go out and play ball, take part and enjoy the spirit of the competition.

Please, just do not measure your child's worth by his/her trip around the bases.

Psalm 127:3

New International Version (NIV)

³ Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward from him.  ~~biblegateway.com