I went to a funeral a week or so ago that I shouldn’t have had to go to. I say that because she shouldn’t have died. Her name was Sarah and she was 20 years old. Sarah should still be with us. But she’s not. No one was ready for Sarah to be gone. Except Sarah.

Sarah was on her way to visit family in southern Georgia. Driving in the middle of the day from Ohio, Sarah fell asleep and slid off the road. That’s it.

I’ve known her family for many years and I couldn’t help but think of my own son. I wonder if I’ll outlive him. That’s a terrible thought but a real possibility. That got me thinking about two things:

1. I have absolutely no control over anything. I have to completely trust that God will keep his little heart beating. I have to continually trust that God will provide everything he needs. I have to trust that God has a plan for his life and it’s way bigger than I ever imagined. Because I have no idea when it might be over.

2. His father might be the difference. Let me put this out there. I might be the reason he either accepts or rejects God. This is simultaneously encouraging and terrifying. I think as parents we often have so many goals and plans for our kids future that we never stop to think that they might not make it that long. If God called him home tomorrow, what is it that I want him to know today? The answer is simple.

Jesus.

That’s. it.

If he never learns to read, or write, or ride a bike, or drive a car, or kiss a girl, or have a kid of his own…but he knows Jesus, than I have succeeded. If he does all of that other stuff with excellence but never knows Jesus, I’ve failed miserably as a father.

It is our responsibility as parents to introduce our kids to Jesus. You don’t have to beat them with the Bible or pester them. But it is our job to raise them and show them who He really is. Our children may not remember everything we teach them, but they will remember what we’re passionate about.