A Father's Joy

My after-work time at home is normally very good - peaceful home, respectful wife, joy filled kids, all by the grace of God. The other night I experience a particularly glorious dad moment that blew me away. It started with my kids fighting.

"Anda, you're nuts."

Yes, but that is beside the point!

So the girls were supposed to be feeding the dogs, but one was in the doorway with a chair blocking the other, and the one in the back had the scoop for the dog food. "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Give me the scoop." "Get out of the way." "Go sit on the stairs."

After some contemplation time, I took them into their room one at a time. "What's your sin?" "I was thinking about myself and not my sister." "That's right, in that moment you didn't have love in your heart. Who did you sin against?" "My sister." "Who else?" "You." "Who else?" "God." "That's right, you need to tell all three that you are sorry."

Then I witnessed prayer, heartfelt apologies, and reconciliation. It was beautiful and glorious and just how it should be between God's kids, and it certainly beats an unmeant "SORRY. Humph."

Christian parents, take the time for settling down, getting kids to understand their specific sin, getting at the heart, and encouraging real apologies, real forgiveness, and real reconciliation. It's awesome.

Props to Mark Driscoll for excellent teaching through Proverbs that illuminated some areas regarding child rearing I needed to pay more attention to, and to Jesus for using him so mightily and for never ending work on my own heart.

Grace and Peace friends.