laboroflove

I love my job. The people I get to serve are energetic, challenging, and fun to be around. The hours are long and there are times I get frustrated feeling like I am not really getting through, but the work is still very rewarding. The other thing that makes my job such a joy is I get to share the responsibility with my wife, who shares my passion and commitment to the work we are involved in. Most of all I love seeing the growth and maturity that is taking place. Yes, I love my job as Josh and Matt’s Dad. What did you think I was talking about?

There is no more important job than the task of raising the next generation of men and women. The children who today are cutting teeth, learning the alphabet, singing about the “B-I-B-L-E,” will, in the blink of an eye, be driving the car, living in their own place, and, God willing, having children of their own. Through all of the stages of growing up, the primary influence in their life is the parent.

I talk to moms and dads about the job of parenting nearly every day. I talk to parents of babies, toddlers, pre-teens on up to parents of full grown adults with families of their own. The common thread in these conversations is the desire to do the very best job possible for the sake of their child(ren).

At a recent leadership team meeting, we discussed the particular difficulties parents of teens encounter. We realized these parents sometimes have struggles that are not always obvious to the naked eye. We can see when a young mom deals with her toddler having a tantrum in the grocery store. We can’t always see the broken and heavy heart of a parent whose teen is in crisis. Providing a safe and confidential venue for parents to support one another might be an area where the Holy Spirit is leading us. If you are interested in exploring this ministry, e-mail me at Pastor@MeetHope.org.

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.” By focusing on instilling God-honoring values in our children and then leading our own lives modeling those values, we lay a critical foundation for our kids that will serve them well throughout the many circumstances they will grow to face. Most importantly, pray. Ask the God of our universe to guide us in the most crucial task we will ever be assigned.

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