Frederickson Blog

Today I am celebrating my daughter’s 1st birthday! Naomi Ruth Proctor was born on March 26, 2024, and what a blessed year it has been. I have always wanted to have a daughter and am incredibly grateful to the Lord for answering this prayer. The saying, “the days are long, but the years are short,” has been so true for me this year. I look at all the milestones Naomi has already hit, from crawling to walking to talking and saying “Dada,” and count my blessings each day. As I’m sure all parents feel at times, we love seeing our children grow, but we also miss the baby days when that season is over.  

As a father, I have come to appreciate the gospel’s story about Jesus and his relationship with children. During the time of Jesus’ ministry, everyone was vying for his attention, so much so that the disciples felt He did not have time to spend with children. In Matthew 19:13-15 (NIV), we read, “Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.”

While this passage in Scripture is just a few short verses, the implication is tremendous. Jesus not only makes time for children but also goes on to say that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. This is a good reminder for me, as a father, that when life gets busy or I feel tired, making time for my own children is exactly what our Lord and Savior does for us. Our most important job as parents is to love, provide, and shepherd our children’s hearts, always pointing them to Jesus in all that we say and do. What a blessing children are, and may we strive to always love them in the same way that Jesus loves every one of us.