he is a promise

The boys' preschool held their spring program and graduation ceremony today. Here are Elijah and his sweet little Isabelle after they received their diplomas. We are so happy that these two will both attend Bear School in the fall. They are the best of friends...Elijah has told me they are going to get married and drive a red minivan.

The boys with their self portraits...Elijah is right on with his hair, but what's with his left foot? They have had the kids do these paintings at the end of each year for a few years now, and I LOVE them.

One of the songs the children sang is called I am a Promise and is such a precious song. I've included the lyrics in this post because they really touched me today. As I sat, camera ready, waiting for Elijah's name to be called for him to get his diploma, I was filled with emotion. I am so very proud of this little man. He has such a zest for life and a fun spirit about him, which can sometimes pose a problem in the classroom. At the start of this school year I was intimidated by the expectations set out before us. My fear was really driven by the preschool director who wanted to keep Elijah back with the younger kids because he might be a "distraction to others." I finally decided to push for him to be with the older 5s because by age that's where he belonged, but also because Jonathan and I believed that he could, and would, rise to meet the challenges before him. She agreed to "give it a try" and now he has completed the year as one of the best readers of the group. He has grown so much this year, all the while holding on to that wide open way about him. And although I've always known it, God really spoke to me through this song today, to tell me that Elijah is a promise.

I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice
And I am tryin' to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.

I can go anywhere that He wants me to go
I can be anything He wants me to be
I can climb the high mountains
I can cross the wide sea
I'm a great big promise you see!

I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice
And I am tryin' to make the right choice
I'm a promise to be anything God wants me to be
Anything God wants me to be!
first day of preschool on 9.20.2004

today
he is a promise

yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Romans 4:20-21