How are you doing? Whether able to work from home, still drawing a paycheck, or not able to work due to the shutdown of your industry, the challenge is to see the glass as half-full. One friend said, “The glass is gone!” That is the reality for some. And it is in the reality of life that God shows up.

Consistency anew is quite different than the daily routine we had with work and family just a few short weeks ago. Are you able to recognize and embrace the glimpses of God’s glory in the midst of this crazy time? No commute may mean you have time for reading a devotion and the word of God before the family stirs. Working from home may introduce flexibility to engage with your wife and kids during the routine of the day. A time of unemployment may provide an opportunity to involve the kids in some overdue projects around the house. Watching church services online together as family may open the door for discussion that enables you to lead spiritually to a new level. When doors close, the Lord opens a window. Breathe in the Holy Spirit during this time.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20. In this passage toward the end of the letter to the church of Laodicea, it is clear the door is closed to the Lord. Earlier in the letter, Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” (vs.15). Lukewarm Christians are more under the influence of the world than they are a Kingdom influence in the world. Life a few weeks ago was lukewarm – Consistency of old usually had us in church on Sundays but Monday through Saturday we were busy with work and children’s activities. Consistency anew has put faith back in the middle of our family with personal devotion time early each day, family discussion time as we eat meals together every day and spiritual discussion as a family after we watch Sunday’s church service online. If we are not as ‘hot’ as Jesus expects us to be, we are at least moving in the right direction. I pray He finds our home church welcoming Him in to join us for a meal.

What is God up to? Is He punishing the world for all the sin entertained? Is He testing our faith? Has He given the devil free reign as He did with Job? Good questions but if someone claims to know the answers, be wary. I like what singer, song writer and pastor Matt Neely wrote years ago in a song, “There are two things I know – There is a God! And I’m not Him.” God is sovereign, which means He has a purpose for everything. It appears to me that He is giving all dads an opportunity to establish consistency anew in family that reflects a home on fire for the Lord.

Prayer guide: Lord, thank You for Your word and for this challenging time. I was comfortable in my busy-ness and have struggled with the “Why?” and “What is this all about?” questions. I confess that I have spent too much time looking to news reports and social media for answers. Forgive me. I have seen glimpses of Your glory as I work with my son on a project that I had never made time for. I feel Your presence as we pray and eat a meal together as a family. I would never have asked for this “Timeout” from all of our busyness but it has challenged me to revisit priorities. I want to establish consistency anew in family that will glorify You in our home. That is the dad You call me to be, and that is the dad the next generation needs to see. Amen.

A faithful father initiates consistency anew that reflects Christ in the home.