I've always had a great love, respect, and affection for both of my parents. My mother is a wonderful blessing to me. She has prayed for me, cared for me, ministered to me, and been gracious to me in more ways than I will ever be able to recall, communicate, or thank her for. However, like many young boys, I was a self-proclaimed "Daddy's boy". I wanted to be around him, to look like him, to talk like him, to smell like him, and to have a rocking' mustache like him (yep, a rocking' mustache). He was, and is to this day, my hero and more than anything I wanted to be with him and for him to be proud of me. I did not have this love and admiration as a standard for him to achieve, I just loved my dad and wanted to be like him.
Now, many years later, I have littles. Littles that aren't so little anymore. Little eyes watching, ears listening, minds processing, mental notes being taken about what it is to be a man, a Godly man, a husband, father, brother, friend, pastor, student, and most importantly a disciple of Jesus. I have a daughter who has spent the last 18 years, knowingly and unknowingly, creating standards and expectations about her future husband based largely on what she has seen in me. I have four boys who are, intentionally and unintentionally, developing a picture of what a Godly man is to be based on what they see, or don't see, in me.
Reality Check: I can't live up to that.
Alone, I can do nothing. Wait, I can do something. I can, all by myself, give my children a terrible picture of manhood. All by myself I can be selfish, angry, harsh, impossible to please, arrogant, and the list goes on but it gets no better.
But there is hope. Hope for my children and hope for eternity. In John 15:5, Jesus told his disciples, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
Listen carefully to what Jesus said. "...he who abides in Me...". Not "he who works harder than anyone else". Not "he who is most naturally gifted". Not "he who is (fill in the blank)". None of those things, but rather it is in the abiding. It would appear that the way that I am to become the man I am to be, I need to do less striving and more abiding. As I walk tightly to Jesus, HE makes me to be who I need to be.
I remember as a kid very regularly interrupting my dad during his Bible reading/study time or his prayer time. I remember coming into his office where he would be kneeling at a chair and I would climb on the backs of his legs while he prayed. I'm not sure I ever thought of myself as a distraction but I'm sure it was difficult to fellowship with God while I climbed on him like playground equipment. Seeing my dad (and my mom) with open Bible, diligently engaged in study and prayer were COMMON occurrences. They were living out the model of walking tightly to Jesus to be disciples of His, and my little eyes saw, my little ears heard, my little heart understood, and my little life was shaped.
I'm not sure where in the last 40 years I got convinced that my effort was more important that His work in me. I'm not sure where I traded abiding for striving. However, I am thankful for the reminder to pay more attention to His work in me than my work FOR Him.
...and I learned this first from my dad.
Now, many years later, I have littles. Littles that aren't so little anymore. Little eyes watching, ears listening, minds processing, mental notes being taken about what it is to be a man, a Godly man, a husband, father, brother, friend, pastor, student, and most importantly a disciple of Jesus. I have a daughter who has spent the last 18 years, knowingly and unknowingly, creating standards and expectations about her future husband based largely on what she has seen in me. I have four boys who are, intentionally and unintentionally, developing a picture of what a Godly man is to be based on what they see, or don't see, in me.
Reality Check: I can't live up to that.
Alone, I can do nothing. Wait, I can do something. I can, all by myself, give my children a terrible picture of manhood. All by myself I can be selfish, angry, harsh, impossible to please, arrogant, and the list goes on but it gets no better.
But there is hope. Hope for my children and hope for eternity. In John 15:5, Jesus told his disciples, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
Listen carefully to what Jesus said. "...he who abides in Me...". Not "he who works harder than anyone else". Not "he who is most naturally gifted". Not "he who is (fill in the blank)". None of those things, but rather it is in the abiding. It would appear that the way that I am to become the man I am to be, I need to do less striving and more abiding. As I walk tightly to Jesus, HE makes me to be who I need to be.
I remember as a kid very regularly interrupting my dad during his Bible reading/study time or his prayer time. I remember coming into his office where he would be kneeling at a chair and I would climb on the backs of his legs while he prayed. I'm not sure I ever thought of myself as a distraction but I'm sure it was difficult to fellowship with God while I climbed on him like playground equipment. Seeing my dad (and my mom) with open Bible, diligently engaged in study and prayer were COMMON occurrences. They were living out the model of walking tightly to Jesus to be disciples of His, and my little eyes saw, my little ears heard, my little heart understood, and my little life was shaped.
I'm not sure where in the last 40 years I got convinced that my effort was more important that His work in me. I'm not sure where I traded abiding for striving. However, I am thankful for the reminder to pay more attention to His work in me than my work FOR Him.
...and I learned this first from my dad.
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