It is no secret that one of the greatest difficulties for folks who travel singing as we do is the amount of time we have to spend away from our families. I'm definitely no exception to that rule.
I was singing before Dana and I ever even started dating. She always knew that our lives together would be impacted by the amount of touring our group was undertaking. I'm not
able to put my thoughts in writing clearly enough to ever completely describe just how much she believes in our group, and supports all that we do. She not only is a wife and
Mommy with many responsibilities of her own, but she also many times serves as the voice of our group to those of you calling our office about products or bookings. Words
just can't describe what she means to me. I wouldn't be able to do this without the support of such a great quartet wife.
However, there are times when answering questions and explaining why
Daddy needs to be gone for a few days to two little boys is much more challenging. Matthew is going to be five years old in a few weeks,
while Michael is about three and a half. They both understand that when I'm gone we're riding on the bus to sing at churches and we're singing songs about Jesus, but sometimes their questions can
still be difficult. Phrases like How long are you going to be gone? and I'll miss you Daddy are common when they see me start packing my bags.
Normally the toughest questions come from Michael. He is a very sensitive little guy. But as he gets older, I can see him understanding more that its important for Daddy to go sing.
Obviously, the depth of that understanding is minimal right now. But as he grows, I'll make sure that he understands that God has given Daddy a job to do. One day I want him to
also understand that he, his brother, and Mommy have all played a major part in Daddy being able to go sing.
There are times when I realize that Matthew understands more than I think he does!
Although it seems like the kids are always growing up too fast, the past few months have been ones in which Matthew has been really surprising us. He concentrates more on
things these days. You can almost see that he's not satisfied unless he does something just right . Whether its combing his own hair, or coloring inside the lines, he's becoming our little
perfectionist.
Dana and I have always encouraged Matthew and Michael to sing. Music is a very big part of both of our lives, and we want to pass that gift along to our kids. Back before they
became such big boys, it was a bedtime ritual to sing every song we knew while lying in bed waiting to get sleepy. We then moved on to starting Daddy's latest tape on their little
tape player. By the time it would play through one side they would have drifted off to sleep. While listening to those tapes, they would each develop their own personal favorites. At
some point, they realized that it was fun to sing along. Normally, singing a song for them was joining in on just a few key phrases. But in their renditions, they would sing those
phrases they knew at the top of their lungs!
Well, of course I was proud as I could be. It didn't matter how many times I heard bewieve instead of believe
, those were my little guys and they obviously were enjoying the songs, even at such a young age.
A couple of weeks ago, the quartet was singing on a Sunday night only a couple of hours
away from home. Dana and the boys hadn't been able to be at a concert for some time, so they had decided to drive over for the evening. After everything was over that night, I
told the guys that I would just drive Dana and the kids home instead of riding the bus. Dana put the boys pajamas on them, and we loaded them up in the car and started down
the road. We had really expected both of them to quickly drift off to sleep and allow Dana and I to get caught up on some conversations about things other than dinosaurs, fire
trucks, and beanie babies! Well, as usual, they surprised us and were wide awake all the way home. But the things that ended up replacing our missed adult conversations, were priceless.
The kids had been listening to a copy of our new Timeless tape for the past couple of weeks while riding in Dana's car. Although they had just heard many of those same songs
at the concert, they HAD to listen to that tape while we drove. I was in no way prepared for what I heard next. Michael was pretty well occupied with a conversation going on between his cow
beanie baby and one of his dinosaurs. But Matthew was focused on that tape. Part way through the first song, I realized that kid was singing every word. Not only was he
singing all of the words, but he was singing the melody line perfectly!
Now I know you might be thinking, Come on, this is just an overly proud Dad talking. But I'm
telling you the truth. He sang every note. I stopped mid-sentence and looked at Dana as if to say, Are you hearing this? She just smiled and whispered to me that he could do that on
every song. I was completely shocked! Keep in mind, we had only had this tape for a few weeks. For goodness sakes, I was still learning some of the words! How did my four year old know them?
I rode for the next solid hour listening to every word. Time seemed to stand still. I would catch myself just driving along with this uncontrollable smile on my face. I'm telling you, to
hear him singing some of those classic old songs like Jesus Is Coming Soon, Child Of The King, and Learning to Lean, was indescribable. The truths being spoken in the words of those
songs were being sung by MY child. Of course he didn't understand everything he was singing, but one day he will. One day he will understand that it not only makes Daddy
happy to hear him sing songs about Jesus, but it also makes God happy to hear him sing those same songs.
I love my children more than I ever realized is possible. However, my love for them would
be vastly surpassed when compared to God's love for each of us. If it makes me so happy to see my child maturing and to hear him singing those songs, how must it make
God feel when he sees you and I wanting to spend time growing in our relationship with Him....and singing songs which glorify Him?
I hope He smiles as much as I did driving home that night.
