Colossians 1: The Joy of Parents

Verse 6: This gospel has already come to you, and from the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God, it has been bearing fruit and growing among you, just as it has throughout the whole world.

Yesterday was the first day my 6-year-old son went to his Taekwondo class. I was waiting in the hallway, ready to record a video, when I heard the elevator arrive. Seeing me with the camera, my son ran up and performed a kick and a punch, shouting "Taekwondo!"

These days, I'm teaching my son to write his name. Yesterday, he said it was difficult and didn't want to do it. But when I told him he could do it well with continuous practice, he managed to write it all by himself. I was so surprised. How beautiful it was, or rather, how cool it was! (My son prefers being called cool rather than beautiful.)

What brought Paul the most joy in preaching the gospel was seeing the faith of those who heard it grow stronger and bear the fruit of faith. Can you imagine how happy Paul must have been, even while imprisoned in Rome, when he heard about the fruit being borne by the believers in the Colossian church?

And what about God? After giving his precious Son to the cross for our salvation, seeing the people grow and bear the fruits of faith according to his will must bring him immeasurable joy. This joy would be incomparable to the happiness I felt watching my son's Taekwondo kick and seeing him write his name.

Lord, make me a child who brings you joy! Holy Spirit, lead me in truth!