“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise”.
Deuteronomy 6:5-8 ESV
I have never heard a father say that he wished he would have spent less time with his kids and more time at work or with his friends. But it seems to be the constant theme I hear with men, who are broken because of their relationships with their children. One of the hardest things to realize as a parent is how fast our children will grow up and how little time we have to enjoy with them before they become self-sufficient adults.
Instead of spending our free time loving and equipping them, we just babysit our kids while our thoughts are focused on our personal desires. We spend just enough time with them for assurance that we are good dads and they should respect us for that. I will hang out with Sophie some days while thinking about all of the other things that I need to be doing or even could be doing (like writing this blog). Consequently, I miss out on a great opportunity to watch my daughter grow, and more importantly, be a part of her growth.
I am not talking about dead beat dads…they are not even worth mentioning in this conversation. I am talking about myself, first, and every other man trying to be a good father and a Godly man.
I have to stop and ask myself; what is the most important things in my life?
Thats easy: 1.God, 2. Lacey, 3. Sophie.
If this is correct, does my life reflect my priorities?
If I die today, will these be the three things that define my existence?
I believe that most people will remember me for these 3 things. HOWEVER, they will remember these three things because I talked about them being my priorities NOT because they were always first. I want to challenge myself each day and make sure that what I am telling people actually lines up with the truth in my heart. I do not want to be an average dad. I want to be Dad Of The Year…every year!
There are a lot of things that I want to do in life and I believe that most of them are healthy for my spiritual growth. However, I must steward the things that God has already trusted me with…like Lacey and Sophie. The best way for me to reach the lost is by confirming my love for my first 3 priorities.
I understand that I cannot spiritually save my daughter or force her to have a relationship with God, but I can love her like our Father has loved us (even when we don’t deserve it) and present her with every opportunity to grow in her faith.
Sophie -I am thankful for God giving me this precious time with you. I pray that I cherish every moment of our time together. I pray that I do not let the material things of this world or my desire to reach others around the world come between our personal relationship. God has given you to me as a gift so that my faith can be strengthened and I can live for eternity by doing whatever He asks of me. Thank you for making me a better person and Christ Follower! - Dad
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