Becoming a father was without a doubt one of the greatest moments of my life! I will never forget seeing our baby for the first time. I was so emotional I about destroyed our video camera with the tears of joy that were dripping off my face onto the camera. I knew my life would never be the same after that moment. The joy of being a father has been overwhelming, but I must admit the responsibility has been overwhelming as well.
My wife and I have strived so hard to be the best parents we can be. We read to them from the time they were born for their mental development. We have fed them, bathed them, changed them, and gave them vitamins for their physical development. We have almost suffocated them with love in the form of hugs, kisses and encouraging words for their emotional development. But it pains me to admit that I fear I have fallen short in the most critical development area.
Some people naively believe that the home of a Pastor must be a spiritual Disneyland. Everyone gets along and the Pastor/Husband/Father walks around quoting the word, singing hymns and constantly praying. That place may exist but it isn't my house. The area that it pains me to admit that I have been found lacking is caring for the spiritual development of my kids.
By the grace of God all 3 of our children have confessed Jesus as Lord over their life and have experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues. If anyone has taken the lead in this area it has been my amazing wife Dianne! She had the privilege of praying with all 3 of our children to become followers of Christ. Thankfully, I did get the joy of baptising them in water.
My problem is that I have followed the advice of Proverbs 22:6 (the Message) "Point your kids in the right direction--When they're old they won't be lost." I have been guilty of doing what I think that many Christian parents do. I have pointed my kids to the church. My assumption has been "If my kids are in church they are being trained in their faith." Fortunately, my church has a phenomenal children's ministry that does just that: training them in the faith. But the problem is that it isn't the church's job to train my children in the faith. It is my job as a parent!
This is where I think that the Message translation of Proverbs 22:6 is way off. A literal translation says "Train up a child in the way he should go." "Point your kids in the right direction" seems a lot easier than "training up a child." Anyone can point someone else in the right direction, training is a whole lot more difficult than that. If you have ever done any athletic training you understand the difference.
What I love about God is that it is never to late to make a U-turn. From this moment on I take full responsibility for the spiritual training of my children! I will no longer shirk my duty as a Husband/Father/Man of God and count on anyone else to do it for me.
I leave you today with a couple of questions:
Are there any other men reading this that are willing to join me?
As a child, have you resisted the spiritual training of your father?
Wow! This was beautiful. I really appreciate your honesty! Your kids are very blessed to have such Godly parents that are training them. :O)
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