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Dear Friends,
Father's Day
This week’s very
special for the McCracken family.
Our oldest son is getting married on Saturday. The fact that is milestone falls on the
day before Father’s Day had escaped me … until now.
As we get ready for
the big day it becomes more evident to me that a significant era of my
life, as a “hands on dad” is over.
I find myself thinking, “What more could I have done to better
prepare Ryan for this lifelong launch?”
Yes I understand that we’re all “a work in progress,” but what few
perfectionist tendencies I have surface when it’s my kid!
So here I am beating
myself up for what I have forgotten, and thinking how embarrassed I’ll be
when my future daughter-in-law discovers her “knight in shining
armor” can’t do some things husbands are supposed to be able to do. I can hear her now: “Didn’t your father
teach you that?”
All of this fretting
forced me to ask: ”What’s the number one job of
a father?” “What are the most
important subjects to teach our kids?”
Our job as dads is to
help our kids establish healthy relationships with God, others and
themselves. The most important
subjects have to do with spiritual formation and character development. Here’s some highlights from my thinking:
- Time flies … spend as much as you can
with your wife and children.
It was just yesterday I was taking Ryan to preschool.
- Kids learn more by watching than we ‘ll ever know … so
be what you want them to be!
- I wasn’t “done” when I got married! Boy has the Lord taught me lots
through Karen and the kids!
- You won’t get it all right or all
done. Don’t worry about
it. Celebrate the things that
you’ve done right! Keep
praying and trusting the Lord to continue to His work in their lives.
- Character is more important than life
skills. Godly character is
more easily developed during childhood. Life skills can be acquired almost
anytime.
That’s what I needed
to see. Ryan is a work in
progress. We’ve spent years
building and strengthening his foundation. Now he’s adding the “first floor” his
wife, our daughter in law, to his life.
And someday, in the not so near future, I am going to be a
grandfather! Fathers Days will
never be the same!
Until
next time,
Bruce McCracken
Founder, House on the Rock Family Ministries
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If you
found this information helpful, we have made other Pebbles of Truth articles
available on our website (www.hotrfm.org). Each month we feature
articles on the topics of: men's issues, marriage, blended families,
parenting, and church ministry to families. You will also find a
great deal more information about House on the Rock Family Ministries!
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