Which of the following are similar to the ways you've served Christ in your family? [check all that apply]
• Taught your kids to see God's glory in nature
• Washed the dishes without being asked
• Played a board game with your kids
• Encouraged your wife to finish her master's degree
• Attended a child's open house at school
• Worked fewer hours to be with your family
• Set an example of a godly prayer life for your children
• Held a crying child
• Swung on the tire swing with your daughter
• Told your wife why you're still in love with her
• Told your son he's got what it takes
• Coached soccer
• Let you child correct you now and then
• Fixed the vacuum cleaner
• Taught your sons to ride a bike
• Listened patiently to a complaint of your wife
• Taped your child's artwork to your office wall
• Admitted to your kids that you were wrong
• Told your children how Christ entered your life
• Cleaned up vomit
• Taught your children to love books
• Been romantic without expecting sex
• Told your daughter she's smart/beautiful
• Set standards for your kids and stuck to them
• Dealt graciously with a busybody neighbor
• Peeled carrots
• Watched movies together
Life Goes On Theme of the Week: Youngster Time-Sharing Thursday, November 14, 2002
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November/December 200256Life Goes OnTheme of the Week: Youngster Time-Sharing Life Goes On Theme of the Week: Youngster Time-Sharing Thursday, November 14
Key Bible Verses: "In my early years the friendship of God was felt in my home. … My children were around me" (Job 29:4–5). Bonus Reading:Jeremiah 6:16–21
I was talking with a professional man about his job, one with a lot of out-of-state travel. "The first 10 to 12 years after the kids were born, my work took me away quite a bit," Roy began. "My wife was really good about it, and she did a great job of raising our three kids. When they hit early adolescence, however, it suddenly dawned on me that I'd missed out on a great deal. After much reflection, I did something I never thought I could do: I quit that high-paying job. Then I went out and found a new job that would keep me close to home. But despite all I did, it was too late.
"No matter how hard I tried to put myself back into my kids' lives, it didn't work. They'd adjusted to the point where having Dad around wasn't necessary. Seven years later," Roy concluded, "we're a little happier, but nothing like I wish it could be. I missed my chance; now it's too late."
It's as if you're the manager of the New York Yankees, but you don't arrive at the ballpark until the seventh inning. You'll find the players and coaches playing the game without you. We're only given a short time with our children, and the best years to get them on our team are when they're young.
—Greg Johnson in "Daddy's Home"
My Response: What adjustments do I need to make before it's too late?
Thought to Apply: Earning a living is one aspect of fathering. … But concentrating on this to the exclusion of others becomes … an escape. —Myron Brenton (writer)
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