Growing Pains

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” (Proverbs 22:6, NLT) That verse has always been somewhere in my mind as Bobbi and I have raised Allena from infancy to adulthood. Life in the Kinker home has been a mixture of both good and bad for the three of us. There is no doubt that the Almighty has had His eye on our home and its happenings and inhabitants. (Psalm 32:8) We are important to Him.

Monday, August 29, 2016, was a crucially important date for Allena (and us as her parents).  We moved our daughter into her dormitory room at Ohio Christian University (OCU) in Circleville, OH, to pursue her double major in Business Management and Disaster Relief Management.

Some of you may remember that this is not Allena’s first experience in an extended time away from us. At the age of seventeen, our daughter’s mission’s trip in Costa Rica (for two weeks) made her more thankful for all she had in her life.

At the age of eighteen, Allena had a challenging six month venture with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Akron, OH, where she became intimately acquainted with worship, discipleship, and missions. OCU was different than the others because it seemed more important. (At 20, there was more for Allena to lose if she didn’t take this time of her life seriously.)

During the parent orientation, there were several items communicated to us that were of prime importance. We were all thanked for allowing OCU the privilege training our child. The instructors at OCU loved our child, and hoped to pour every bit of their experience into her time hear. They assured us that some of the parents hear would cry as they left their kids. Other would celebrate the departure with balloons.

Our time of Allena getting her settled into a dorm room (with her roommate) concluded with our dinner in the cafeteria. As we hugged our daughter, Bobbi was wiping away the tears in her eyes as I wondered where I could buy some balloons. (I was looking forward to once again becoming an empty nester with Bobbi.)

My daughter will change (and mature) as a result of OCU. I hope Allena always knows that (in my own distinctive way) I love her. She is valuable to her mother and me (as well as God). She is    a kind-hearted daughter (and lady).

Proverbs 31:10 (MSG) says, “A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.” I hope she can allow herself to feel the uplifting lyrics to the chorus of a Britt Nicole song:

This, this is for all the girls

Boys all over the world

Whatever you’ve been told

You’re worth more than gold

So hold your head up high

It’s your time to shine

From the inside out it shows

You’re worth more than gold

Who can you uplift today with kind words (or actions) as they move into a big mission in their life?