Dear Logan, (January 17th, 2012)

Dear Logan,

Every reliable source I can find tells me that a child's basic personality and bent is fully formed by the age of 5. On top of this, every source seems to agree that a person's view of God is formed by their early relationship with their father. Now, this means that by 2017, I will have either helped you form a firm foundation from which you can live a confident and faithful life, or I will have failed in a big way as your father.

Now, as in my last letter to you, I reaffirm that my goal is to be there for you in every way I can. I desire nothing more than to give you the benefit of having a father who shows you through his actions what it means to love and be loved. I want you to see how a real man, if I can dare to call myself that, treats a woman, and how a true husband loves his wife. For, these are not things you're going to get or see in the world around us, son. This world is booby-trapping its children, and removing from them every opportunity to find out what it means to be a child of God, a real human... and a real man.

I have every intention of being there for you, son. But, this letter is addressed to those areas where I fall short. You see, son, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. What that means is that people tend to want to do things much more than they actually do them in reality. It means that if you don't have a plan to follow through with your good intentions, they may remain just that... intentions, not actions.

I believe I do have a plan on how to follow through and give you benefits that many children never have in this current world. And yet, I also know my own shortcomings. I am driven. I get hard-headed. I may focus too much on getting "things" done, and not give you the precious time I set out to. So even though I pray that I will be there in the way you need, I want to write this for those areas where I simply fall short.

If it is true, and I believe from observation that it is, that your view on God will be formed by my interaction with you in the next 5 years, more so even than your interaction with your grandparents, or even your mother; then there is a great task on me, son. You see, I am not like God in so many ways. I do try, and I seek to be more like Him each day, but I fall short. Often, I get in my own way. Other times, I simply get caught up in wanting some new thing and giving my attention to wanting something new more than being truly thankful for what I have.

This is not God. God, you see, is so much more than we could ever imagine, and yet He also reveals Himself to us. He smiles at us through sunsets, comforts us through tragedies, and carries us when we cannot carry ourselves. If I am to show you God, little Logan, then I must portray characteristics that are like Him. I need to show you what it means to be holy. I need to show you what it means to be love. I need to show you that I truly have your best interests at heart, even when you can't see how that is possible... especially if you inherit my bull-headed want for "something new."

If I am going to show you what God is like, I'll need you to know that I am not out to get you. That when you do something wrong, there are consequences for your actions, but that it doesn't mean my love for you has changed. I'll need to explain to you that when I tell you "no," or when I won't let you do something, even if you want it really bad, it's not because I don't love you or am angry and vengeful towards you, but that I can see how that would hurt you, or hinder your life.

If I'm going to show you what God is like, you'll need to see how much I love you. Not just written in words in a letter like this, but really truly see it. Honestly, Logan, if I do my job right, you'll grow up knowing God intimately, and won't have any barriers to feeling His love and care for you. Because the truth is, you're even more his son than you are mine. I've simply been given care over you for a while, a time I'll treasure, He will be your Father forever.

So know this, even before you were born, I was thinking about you, loving you, caring for you. And when we all look up and open our eyes to the real world around us that this one so often veils, we would realize that that is exactly what God has been doing for us... before we were even born.

I can't wait to meet you, son. I look forward to caring for your every need at first, and helping you take care of yourself from there. So if you're reading this from some future date... well beyond 2017... know that in every way, I tried to show you the love of God, because that's what a Father does.

I love you in His Love,

Your Father <><