Awareness is the topic for this fourth week of the DadsHeroChallenge. What are dads to be aware of? One important point of realization is that first time exposure to pornography is now happening at an average age of 9-yrs old. Where you aware of that?
One dad "retired" from some of his hobbies and other outside activities, including golf, to get more in tune with what was going on in his kids’ world. He was reminded by a friend that the window of time to be engaged with the kids is very small in the grand scheme of things – 936 weeks from birth to eighteen. Ask a dad with grown kids how quickly that time gets by. It is time, when invested well, that a dad really gets to know his child and his child gets to know him. It is time that solidifies a father’s influence in his child’s life, influence that can supersede worldly influences.
I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me – just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. – John 10:14-15. To know and be known. This requires intentionality to be aware of the sheep’s world and what they are facing, or in the Father’s case, what His Son was facing in the world. There is also a dimension of vulnerability in letting the sheep get to know Him. As dads, this level of intentionality may require adjusting a work schedule to be more available or a realigning of priorities to invest time in what the kids are interested in. A child also needs to know his dad. The challenge here is to have age-appropriate discussions and give the child freedom to ask any question. Dad, mom and the home must be seen as open and safe to ask anything. Be aware of your child’s world and let them know you, and pray they come to know the Father because they know you.
Tips for Awareness:
Accept the DadsHeroChallenge - Click HERE to download the study booklet and gain access to the video teaching;
Answer the interview questions on pages 38 & 39 of the study booklet. Then interview your child and compare the answers;
Flip the interview around with your child answering the questions as they pertain to you. Then, allow your child to interview you and compare the answers;
With age-appropriateness, discuss God’s design for marriage, family and sexuality with each child – reference Genesis 1:27-28, 2:24; Malachi 2:14-15; Ephesians 5.
Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for Your word and Your sovereign awareness of all goings on. Thank You for this window of opportunity to be more aware of my children’s world than I ever have been. While so many dimensions of ‘normal’ life have been interrupted, we have worked through frustrations as they flared up and drawn closer to each other as a result. I love how You glorify Yourself in the midst of trials. Help me continue to be intentional with efforts to stay tuned in to my children’s world as we move into a post-Covid time. It is with this hope that I accept the DadsHeroChallenge to become a hero in my children’s eyes. That is the dad You call me to be, and that is the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father supersedes the world’s influence on his children’s lives.
