When our first son, Joshua Jr., was born on January 2, 2008, I wrote him a lullaby. I was overcome with God’s goodness to me. I couldn’t then and I cannot now believe that I am a father and daddy. I most certainly do not deserve all the blessing in my life. God is good to me. I don’t deserve it. I have memorized that lullaby, and I sing it now to all of our children. I had thought that I would be able to write each of them a lullaby, but I have just adapted this one to fit each of them. It is pretty much the same lullaby, but I did have to change more this time since she is a girl. Either way, it expresses my heart in life and fatherhood.
**LILIANA’S LULLABY**
Hush little Liliana don’t you cry
Daddy’s gonna sing you a lullaby
I hate to see you crying red-faced with tears
Let me tell you ‘bout us in the coming years
The joy of rearing you can make this grown man weap
Right here in my arms you can fall asleep
I’ll stare at your face & kiss your chubby cheeks
Watch you start to grow in the coming weeks
God gave you a great mother who takes care of you
In love together we will teach you what’s true
four bigger older siblings you can look up to
You become like them, yes I hope you do
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & being a faithful wife
Like serving other people in devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord
Baby girl, I wanna teach you to throw and catch a ball
& I can hardly wait until you learn to crawl
We can walk to the park & I can push you on the swings
Raise you up right so you’ll appreciate things
I wanna teach you about pets like cats and dogs
And how to catch lizards, turtles, & frogs
I’ll show ya how to catch fish & how to bait a hook
how a boy should treat a girl and how to read a book
And how to play with kids and not be weak
Playing outdoor games like hide and seek
I wanna teach you about bruises, scabs and scars
take you on a walk at night to look at stars
I’ll teach you how to ride a bike & how to climb trees
I‘ll teach you about caterpillars, birds, & bees
I wanna pick you up when you fall & scrape your knees
Teach you how to pray, and say “yes sir” & “Please”
we can walk to the creek, I’ll show you how to skip a rock
I’ll show you how to play sports & how to speed walk
I wanna teach you how to not get upset by jokes
& how to be grateful & respect your folks
Liliana, I wanna teach you how to love your mom
& how to read the Bible, a daily Proverb & Psalm
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & being a faithful wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord
Little girl, I wanna teach you how to be a lady
How to look ‘em in the eye & not be shady
How to keep your word & always work real hard
How to pay your bills on time & how to mow the yard
I’ll teach you how to keep a job & not be lazy
How to speak the truth in love and not be hazy
I wanna show you how to love & how to be a friend
And when to compromise and when to take a stand
And how to apologize and also how to forgive
Liliana, these are simple lessons on how to live
And life is not easy, it can be quite hard
Keep your eyes on Christ & don’t be caught off guard
It’s a simple lullaby about what matters in life
Like trusting in God & being a faithful wife
Like serving other people & devotion to the sword
The Word of Jesus Christ our Savior & Lord