Your Children

Your Children

Your children love and adore you. Your children desire to imitate you in all your ways. You will discover them to be little mirrors who reflect the best of you and the worst of you, so it's important that you put yourself under the blood of JESUS and allow HIM to hone you into the best image of HIM that you can be.

It's important that your children see that the 'superhero' in you is you reflecting JESUS.

It's important that your children know that "you (and they) can do all things through CHRIST who gives you strength."

It's important that your children know that "JESUS will never fail or forsake you (or them).

It's important that your children know that all of HIS promises are true for you (and for them).

It's important that your children know that their superhero, the prophet and priest over them, draws his strength from his SUPERHERO, from the ONE WHO INHABITS ETERNITY.

Keith G. Edwards

 One of the best rewards of being a dad is that I get to be a hero in my girls’ lives. For certain, heroship is seasonal. When my girls were young, I could fix anything or create anything. I could even create castles out of cardboard boxes. I could one moment be a big monster and the next be slaying a big monster. All I had to do was show up. 

However, my heroship decreased as they grew up. Not that it went away, it was just more sporadic. I could not fix everything and they realized that the castle did fall down. I took on more of a supportive role, cheering them on from the sidelines or bleachers.

But every once in a while, I get to still be a hero, and over the last two months I got to be super-dad again.

My second daughter had tornado warnings at her home in Virginia Beach. Who did she call? Her dad. I was all over this, “Baby, I got you. I’ll be with you on the phone. Get to a secure place and it will be ok.” For a moment, I was her hero again. She is married and has another hero in her life, but for that hour, it was me again.

My youngest daughter called on a Wednesday morning while I was at my small group meeting. “Dad, something’s wrong with my car.” “Don’t worry Babe, I got you. I’ll be there to get you. I’m right around the corner.” When I showed up, I noticed the problem. I took her to school, came back to get her car, fixed it, and it was ready for her when she got home – and I was a hero again.

That same night, as we were retiring for the evening, I hear a scream coming from my oldest daughter’s room, DAD! COME HERE!” I arrived to see that she needed me to kill a spider in her bedroom. Hero dad, once again.

And finally, the next morning I receive a phone call from my daughter who is away at school. She was going to take some particularly challenging tests that day. When I answer the phone I hear, “Dad, can you tell me I’m smart?” “Babe,” I said, “Of course you are smart. You got this. I believe in you. Let me pray for you right now.” We prayed, and I, for the forth time in a few weeks found out that I was still a hero in their lives.

It is not really the hero status I need, I just enjoy knowing that I’m still wanted and appreciated in their lives. These moments are simple reminders and are very special.

Over the last 27 years of fathering, I have learned to appreciate the things that really matter. I shared a few of them on Father’s Day. Regardless of whether you are a father or not, I think these things can apply to all of our lives.