He greeted the morning, brewed some coffee, then sat down at the table to spend some time with his daily Bible study and prayer. It was nice to enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet along with reflection. He glanced over to the refrigerator and looked at the objects magnetized on the front: his calendar of reminders, photos, and pictures his kids had drawn. One in particular drew attention this morning: him, his wife, the two kids, and the dog, all together holding hands and paws with the sun in a background of mountains. In the upper right corner stood a circle with tick marks spread evenly around it. He remembered asking his son what it represented. To his surprise he replied, "It's a clock with no hands. Wouldn't it be neat if we could be together all the time and the sun never went down?"What father wouldn't be willing to die for his children? So, why do we find it difficult to show them we are willing to live for them? With today's hectic schedules, spending time with our children may be the single most important thing we can do for them. We may find the time spent with them to be boring and wasteful, but to them it is invaluable. We also need to allow them freedom to be kids instead of urging them to grow up too fast. Our role is to help them get through the growing up process. Today's teens are constantly influenced by worldly pressures into sex, drugs, and suicide, among others. They need our encouragement to endure these temptations. "Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." (Colossians 3: 21)Furthermore, we must provide protection from the evil in this world. We can do this by teaching them Godly principles, how to make decisions, how to pick friends, and how to protect themselves. One of the best teachers is our own example, How can they know our example if we don't allow time to be with them? Do we want them to learn their morals, values, and beliefs from television and peers or from us? Ephesians 6: 4 warns: "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Thus, we are responsible to coach according to God's play book.A final practical method of showing them we are for them is to guard them in prayer. We pray for ourselves, right? Who prays for them? We should pray for them to develop a saving faith, a growing faith, wisdom in decisions and choices, their purpose in life, careers, and their future mate among many others.Every human being will make their choices. It is up to us as adults to provide a healthy soil for our children to grow up in. Only then will we be able to look back in hindsight after they've grown and left the house, and have no regrets about our input of efforts and time invested in parenthood. To God be the glory.Next week: Wives: How to be Happily Married.
