Stable Jack...

I was sorting through pictures tonight and ran across this one from Jack's 8th birthday party. It made me stop in my tracks for some reason. At first I thought it was because he's not wearing his glasses. Then I realized how old and tall he looks. I smiled too at the thought of him losing his grown-up, academic self for the party... how I loved watching him actually act his age: carefree and full of energy. I tried to wrap my mind around his new relationship with deodorant and his desire to take morning showers instead of nighttime baths. My boy is growing up.

I admired this group of eight-year old school friends, and wondered who he would be hanging out with when he's fifteen. And what kind of influences they would be to him, and he to them. Then that got me thinking about his conviction over lyrics of a song on the school bus this week, and my phone call to the bus driver that followed.

Friends, choices, convictions, growing up. Then I decided to stop thinking.

I don't write so much about Jack on the blog, I've noticed. It's not that there's not a lot going on with him, or that I don't follow him as closely. It's just that he's...

stable.

Obviously not without some habits that need some continued, clear training. He's far from perfect. But I'm really enjoying him and his stableness. He has a clear sense of who he is and what's expected of him. He's able to do so many things on his own, and requires less direction than the other three. We have intelligent, meaningful conversations on everything from computer games to God. He still tells me everything. He wants to help me cook dinner.

He was three once, and not so stable. And trust me, when he wasn't stable, neither was I. Who knows which came first, but God used that time to teach both of us a lot about ourselves. And now, just this week, I've told his story twice to two weary moms (to guess what... three year olds!). And I was able to encourage them that eventually, with lots of discipline, consistency, patience, prayer, and grace, God can take a three year old...

and make him stable.

At least for this week (sometimes I leave that part out...heh.).