Let me first say that I did not come from a preacher's or full time worker's home, so I do not have stories of how my father neglected me for the ministry. I have heard such stories, but I am sure that there are others that have spent the time with their families that they should have. I know this, I have never heard a man say at the end of his life that he wished that he had spent less time with his family. Or even that he wished he had spent more time at work! That being said, I came from the home of a Christian man and his Christian wife. By Christian, I mean that they loved God with all of their heart and sought to serve Him the best way that His Written Word told them to. They were not perfect (no one is, I hear) but there was never any doubt of their love for my siblings and I and their love for each other. Their story is a great part of my testimony that I will share at a later date.
My parents understood the value of several things: hard work, Christian education, and faithfulness to church to name a few. One thing that I remember growing up though is the fact that my parents were always there for me. I remember several family vacations, many work projects done as a family, and countless trips to this gym or that gym just to watch me play ball. It did not matter how big or how small the event, they were there. I knew that they cared because they were there. This is something that I want to pass down to my kids. I want them to know that, as a father, I will always be there! Why is this so important? Because they learn about God the Father by what they see in me. Believe it or not, our children are developing thoughts about God in heaven by what they see in the everyday lives of their parents. They learn about love and care for others. They learn about the provision of their needs. They learn of the strength of God. They need to see a proper example of a father in us so that they can learn how their Heavenly Father loves them and provides for them and protects them.
Now you might ask, What should I do with the time that I have with my family? I like the word "engage"! I want not just to do things with my family, but I want to engage with them in ways that will build a relationship that is strengthened together as a unit. I want to get my family going in the direction that the Lord has our lives going. I know that God is not leading me to do anything that will cause me to lose my family, so His plan for my life must include my family! Yes, we have time that we spend just having a good time, but my wife and I want to show our children the joys of serving the Lord as well. That is why we try to include them in the areas that we serve Him. My kids are great at inviting folks to church! Who would say not to a cute little kid when they ask them to read a tract? My family really enjoys singing the praises of God, so we have the children sing specials with us in the church services from time to time. My children are involved in the actual cleaning of the nursery and other small projects as well. There is a special joy in serving Jesus and I want them to experience that. We also want to engage in our children on an individual level as well. Learn your children and spouse, their interests and abilities. This will help you find the right activities to participate in together. Give up something that you love doing in order to do an activity that the other person will like. Don't get caught with the "I'm the dad, we will do what I want to do" mentality. Watch that "touchy feely" movie with your wife (for mine, it is sci-fi). This is key for them to see that you care about them.
Above all else, don't be afraid to lead your family to love Christ. Be the spiritual leader that your family needs. Husbands, pray with your wives and children. Lead them in personal devotion time and family Bible study. Be an example of what a Christian should be in daily living.
I hope that this article has been a help, feel free to comment. My next article will be my personal testimony! God Bless.