Some studies out there suggest that the cost to raise a child from birth to 17 is around $300K. It is no wonder that dads and moms can get overwhelmed with providing financially for the family. Of course, raising a child is not a cost but an investment. As dads and moms invest well, the return is priceless.
Investing well, be it financial or relational, takes planning. In Faithful Fathering’s new release, Seasons of Fathering, there are suggestions on how to invest well in relationship with kids as they mature. During each season, scheduling routine one-on-one time with your bride and each child is a great investment.
And in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and prayed there for a time. – Mark 1:35. … Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. – Luke 5:16. Jesus’ commitment to spend time with His Father, and His Father’s commitment to spend one-on-one time with Him, empowered Jesus on the journey of obedience to the Father all the way to the point of death, even death on a cross. If a dad wants to empower his children to obey him, and their Heavenly Father, one-on-one time is the investment that has guaranteed return. The Old Testament wraps up with, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”- Malachi 4:5-6. Heart-turning happens as dads commit to routine one-on-one time with each child. Invest well and let the heart-turning begin!
Investing one-on-one time can be as simple as a walk in the park, getting an ice-cream or windshield time on the way to an activity. It can be as involved as a weekend outing or coordination of an extended trip that incorporates a blessing over your child. The charge to dads is to emulate the Heavenly Father’s example of committing time to be with His Son. This starts by following Jesus’ example of time with the Father in prayer. Through such prayer, He will empower every dad to represent Him well in family. Suggested investment opportunities:
Read to / with your young child;
Play a game, have a catch, play ping pong, be available on their turf;
Date your daughter, accepting it will get more expensive as she matures;
Prayer guide: Father, thank You for Your word and the one-on-one time with You in prayer. I confess that as an overcomer dad, I thought I had everything under control, but You knew better. Thank You for the wake-up call. Time spent with You in Scripture and prayer has been a blessing in my life. And routine one-on-one time with my bride and each child fills me to the full with Your love. I resolve to invest well in time with You, with my bride and with each child. That is the dad You call me to be and that’s the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father resolves to invest well in time with the Father, with his bride and with each child.
