Isaac's Keep | Reformed Canton Church in Downtown Canton, GA

Children are a delight from the Lord and loving them seems so natural, yet it can be hard to meet the call given throughout God’s Word.

Parenting is an extreme adventure that reveals much about the parent. Seeing my wife parent has been phenomenal, as I have seen her greatest attributes shine, a constant reminder of why I fell in love with her from the beginning. My calling here is to be a Dad, and not in name alone.  I have to realize moment-by-moment that how I love my daughters is going to largely mold their image and reality of God.  The longer I’m in vocational ministry and relate to others who are hurting and lost I see that their view of God is largely affected upon their relationship with their Dad.  Combine this experience with God’s Word and this translates to me the responsibility of loving my children and educating them. It takes it to the highest level.  Displaying the full character of God is impossible, and just displaying an image of that character is plenty difficult enough. But it’s a challenge worth every ounce of my effort.  The connection between the fatherhood of God and Dad helps me maintain focus, even when I’m frustrated, leaning toward slothfulness, or giving in for the sake of my own comfort.  I remember that being a Father isn’t about the path of least resistance and that doing the hard work of loving daughters even when it hurts is for their good.

Assessing this calling is a bit more difficult; I can’t simply ask them how I’m doing. So I assess them by the way they understand, talk, and act, while balancing those things against the reality that they still have fallen natures of sin.  I don’t expect sinlessness from my kids, but I do expect them to grow in knowledge of God, of their own sin, and their need for grace.   That is largely my responsibility and to nurture these things within them.  With God leading I look forward to the day when they obtain faith and turn to Him, their greatest Father. I always want to point them to that end.

There is nothing perhaps more clichéd and less helpful than to say, “My wife is under-appreciated.”  The fact that we don’t appreciate is really just a symptom of not loving and cherishing.  We can spin it a hundred different ways, but the fact is if we loved our wives as much we wished we did, we would appreciate and cherish them more.  The fact is that flattering platitudes don’t solve the problem, they simply sugar coat it.  As I review this call in my life (#2 on my list of importance) I get angry.  I didn’t love my wife enough over the past year.  I didn’t cherish her as much as I could or should.  And why is that?  I could say that it’s the other six callings that get in the way, but that’s a cop-out, really I didn’t love and cherish her enough the past year because I was unwilling to be Christ to her.  I didn’t lay down my life for her, I chose other things first, things that are not nearly as worthy or lovely as my wife.  After 11 years of marriage I hate the fact that I showed her less love than when we first began, it’s just so typical and it has to change. If it doesn’t then all else is vanity and pride.  If I can’t love and cherish my wife more then can I really love and cherish anyone else.  This is the woman I am in covenant with, there is a promise sealed in heaven regarding this relationship, if I don’t fulfill my promises in this covenant I am not fit for ministry anywhere else.

I will ask her to review this call for me. But I know I can do better, and I’m going to do better.  I know I love her beyond words, my heart is stirred in her presence, it flutters at the thoughts of my love for her.  Now I must do better at practicing this knowledge and emotion by cherishing her, by being Christ to her.  It is a form of worship to God to love and cherish my wife, it is one of the greatest privileges, I need to take more advantage of it.

The idea of calling and vocation have been largely replaced with a job and work.  Unfortunately it’s not that different for Christians. We compartmentalize our lives and go from station to station like children at school, from center to center.  It’s no wonder there is little passion for much of anything, life is just a monotonous buffet upon which to gluttonize ourselves.

As I review the call again this year I’m reminded with this first calling, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever by belonging to Jesus, that this is the very foundation for destroying the compartments and BEING what God has made me to be, a worshipper of Him.  Of course this is only possible by belonging to Jesus.  And it is forever, not just in the past, not just in the future, but forever.  “Forever” transcends time and compartments.

When I’m tired, worn, and the joy begins to fade it is this foundation that I must rebuild upon.  When I’m passionate, happy, and successful it is this foundation that I must remember.  When I feel alone, abandoned, misunderstood, it is this foundation and calling that reminds me I’m never alone, never abandoned, and He always knows my heart.  He is always there because I belong to Jesus, He is always there to be enjoyed no matter life’s circumstances.  When I’m surrounded with praise and affirmation it is to this calling that I must point.  This calling is the chief end of man, it is the chief end of me.

So how am I doing? I’m growing in the knowledge of this calling and truth.  I struggle at times with certain circumstances to remember every circumstance is for His glory and my joy.  It just seems to always be the same certain circumstance when I struggle. At times I fight the temptation of entitlements, as if I have earned anything, and wanting to absorb glory that isn’t mine.  But on the other hand this truth and calling has released me into great freedoms within life and ministry. Finding pleasure in God has unbound my appetite for more of Him.  The glory of His grace is a hot fire that beckons me to come and enjoy its warmth.    I desire to find myself at this fire more and more in the year to come, to not only be warmed by it, but to let it blaze in my own life that I might carry its warmth to others.