As a young kid, he would spend a part of every summer with his uncle. The boy’s home life was not healthy – there was alcoholism and it was a very low-income household. His mother reached out to her sister and brother-in-law about opening their home a few weeks during the summer to provide her son with a different perspective.
A different perspective indeed! They owned a beautiful home on a lake. The boy could go swimming, sailing or fishing every day. He hung out with his uncle at every opportunity. He quickly became a welcomed father-figure to the boy. The reality that this was not his home always began to sink in the last few days of his visit. But he left with a vision of what could be.
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. – John 14:2-3. Jesus provided the disciples with a vision, a new perspective on what would be an eternal home. Where they were at that time was not their home. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. – Philippians 3:20. What a picture! The hatred, persecution, the judgment from the religious leaders of the day took on a different perspective as the disciples kept their eyes focused on Jesus the Christ and the vision He gave them. Their call was transcendent, much bigger than themselves. They longed for the time when they would be present with Jesus but understood there was work to be done here first. As dads, we long for and pray for our kids to know Jesus and in turn to raise their children to know Him as well. But there is work to be done in the here and now – work to provide a daily education in relationship with Jesus through marriage; work to love your bride as Christ loves the Church; and to lead your family spiritually through your example of time in Scripture, prayer and worship every day. The world is always going to be the world with its claim for relative truth and people desiring to be their own god. It is not our home, Heaven is. We are here for a window of time to disciple the next generation.
Every summer, I have the opportunity go to Central Colorado with a group of men. We prepare for the trip; we set up camp, including the ‘kitchen’; we take in God’s creation through day-hikes and fishing outings; we discuss the word of God and its relevance every evening; and we return home to our families. The campsite is not our home. It is a temporary residence that provides man to man encouragement without worldly distractions. We leave with a clearer vision and an understanding that this world is a temporary residence by design for us to disciple our families and others in our circles.
Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for Your Word and the vision You provide. I confess I have been more of this world striving for success and stuff than in this world being an influence for You. Forgive me. Grant me the discipline to spend time in Scripture, prayer and worship daily, the heart to love my bride as You love the Church and the strength to lead my family spiritually by example. I commit to be a discipling dad. That is the dad You call me to be and that is the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father disciples today with an eye on the eternal.
