We tackled the heart issue of TRUST in the Lord at DadU. Our flesh tells us that taking more control is the key to peace and joy and safety for our children, but the Spirit tells us otherwise. Psalm 127 kindly reminds us that "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Our homes are His homes. Our children are His children. And we are the stewards he has left to care for His homes, His children.
We were also reminded that choosing to be a steward rather than an owner . . .
* Helps us trust in God, rather than ourselves (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
* Brings peace rather than anxiety and fear (Isaiah 26:3) and . . .
* Reminds us to focus on the eternal, rather than the transient (Colossians 3:2).
These truths lead us to some really helpful evaluative questions.
- When it comes to parenting, where have you placed your trust and how do you know?
- How are you doing at leveraging the difficulties of parenting for your own personal growth and God's glory? What Scripture do you need to daily set before you to remind you of these truths?
- When you consider your time/energy investment in your parenting, are you devoting more time to the eternal or to the transient?
CALL TO ACTION:
We hope you will be challenged to take the questions above and spend time discussing them with your spouse and your community group. Use these questions to set the stage for confession of ways your heart is not trusting in the Lord and for creating goals on your Family Discipleship Plan in the area of TRUST. Remember the principle of James 5:16 that as you become aware of these areas and confess them to the Lord and others, you would seek prayer from your wife, your community group, and even your kids where appropriate that might bring about healing in those anxious areas of your heart.
RESOURCES:
We mentioned the work of Tim Elmore and the research he has done on this generation of kids and of parents that is so incredibly helpful. I'd encourage you to take a look at his blog post on "Three Huge Mistakes We Make Leading Kids . . . And How to Correct Them" where he defines and elaborates on these three mistakes as . . .
- We Risk Too Little (Fear for their safety)
- We Rescue Too Quickly (Fear for their status) and
- We Rave Too Easily (Fear for their self-esteem).
At the heart of all of this is a lack of trust in the Lord and a false belief that we can fix or manage things better than He can. Praying we will see a generation of dads who reject the way of the world and this lack of trust and choose a better way.
