You have heard me say that I have lost my marbles. There were 936 marbles in the jars representing the number of weekends I had from birth to age 18 with each child. Taking a marble out each week provided a visual reminder of how quickly the time gets by.
Resolve this year to stay connected, to invest time well in relationship with your kids. Scheduling regular one-on-one time is a key component to staying connected emotionally as children mature. Dating daughters and spending time with sons is a step in the right direction. Extended time on a weekend retreat or other trip, particularly at key junctures such as confirmation, transition from middle school to high school, turning sixteen or graduating from high school, can create memories that last a lifetime.
I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. – John 15:15. Jesus invested time well in relationship with the disciples. He led them by example, taught them all His Father had taught Him and coached them through failures and successes. Soon they would be called to a new level of maturity in relationship, to brothers (John 20:17). For dads, daughters will always be “Daddy’s little girl” but the relationship must mature as she enters the teen years and womanhood. The same is true with sons, a maturing in relationship will help guide sons in a clear understanding of manhood.
There is a lot of confusion in today’s culture around what healthy relationships look like. As dads date daughters and spend time with their sons, the young ladies are affirmed in a healthy femininity and young men in a healthy masculinity. This intentionality should compliment what they witness in the home every day between dad and mom. These are key components in helping kids mature with a clear understanding of healthy relationships.
Yes, I have lost my marbles because my kids are grown now. While the jars may look empty, they are full of the memories created on our dates, retreats and backpacking & college trips, memories that still bring a smile with the great stories we share.
Prayer guide: Lord, thank You for Your word and Your love. You have provided examples of healthy and unhealthy relationships throughout biblical history. I confess I have allowed other examples to shape my understanding of relationship – examples of divorce, co-habitation, etc. Forgive me. I want to live into the example Jesus provided in the way He loved the Church and matured in relationship with His disciples. Strengthen me to lead by example through healthy relationships in the marriage and family You have blessed me with. Help me invest time well, regular one-on-one time with my bride and each child, to be a faithful father – the dad You call me to be and the dad the next generation needs. Amen.
A faithful father stays connected by investing time well, regular one-on-one time.
