I’ve been thinking recently about how I value my children. What I’ve realized is that I don’t faithfully value my kids the same way God does. Psalms 127 makes the claim that God takes great delight in shaping and forming each and every part of my kids. They are His handiwork and His gift to me.
This was important for me because I realized that God entrusted these works of His hands to me! That’s astounding and terrifying all at the same time when I stop to think about it! It would almost be like Leonardo da Vinci himself handing me one of his greatest works and asking me to watch over and protect it.
But, I’ve been really convicted lately in regards to my general attitude around the home. Do I really value my kids when I grumble about the inconvenience they sometimes present (or at least my perceived inconvenience)? Do I really appreciate their worth to the Creator of the universe when I find excuses instead of spending time with them?
Further introspection reveals to me that I still have many areas in my life where I need to do some more growing up. I need to do this because they need an example of a real man who follows the Lord and because I am not being the man He’s called me to be when I revert to my childish ways. The way I struggle the most is in my selfishness. I love my “me” time. I am realizing that I love it way too much. So much so that I sometimes use things like reading the Bible to justify taking some more “me” time. I’m not saying that reading the Bible is wasted time, but, when I neglect to take the opportunities to read the Bible other times for whatever reason but then use it as an excuse to avoid being intentionally involved with my kids, I’m doing an injustice to them and even worse, using God as the reason. What does that say to them about who God is? Am I really reflecting His character to them or am I presenting a selfish little boy who wants to be left alone and do his own thing?
I plan to nail down one hour a week to spend one-on-one time with each of them, to start. I hope to expand that but, I know myself and I know that God needs to work a change in my mind and in my priorities so that I begin to eliminate other distractions from my life to make room for one of the most important jobs he’s given me.
My prayer moving forward is to be more intentional with my time so they know I want to spend time with them. I want to hold my tongue and swallow my pride rather than grumble about their shortcomings in their presence. I want to love them like their Heavenly Father loves them.
Behold, children are a gift of the Lord , The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.