The Privilege of Being a Father

A lot of people love their birthday. It's often a day when everything is about "me." Perhaps I am "wired" different than others, but it's just another day to me and I don't get that excited when my b-day comes around. Yesterday was my birthday and it was pretty uneventful in regards to the "me" factor. And that was ok by me. But meeting with my brothers and sisters in Christ in worship of our Savior...that's something to be excited about. Having the opportunity to constantly share Christ with your own child...that is something to be excited about. I love those kind of days...and today was one such day.

Today I again had the privilege of reading my daughter the Scriptures. We read the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus as Jacob's well. In examining the Scriptures I asked her, "Why do we drink water?" Her six-year-old reply was, "Because if we don't drink water then after a certain time we will die. We need it to live."

I said, "Wow, you're right." I explained the Scripture in which Jesus said that there was a such thing as living water which will cause us to live eternally. So I asked some questions to help her figure out what Jesus was saying.

I asked, "What is it that makes us to live forever with God?" She replied, "Believing in Jesus...that Jesus died for our sin and rose again to life."

"So Jesus makes us to live eternally," I replied. My next question was, "What then do you think it means to drink living water and live forever?" She said, "Believing in Jesus."

"Yes!" I said. "But not just believing in Jesus, but believing the truth about Jesus." I went on to explain the rest of the story to her and how it is God who gives us spiritual life so that we can worship Him in spirit and it truth. She was in shock when I told her that there were people who didn't love God and didn't believe the truth about Jesus. She said, "That's crazy that God made this place and they don't believe in Him." I said, "Yeah, they even hate God." It was a blast see her connect with God and His truth.

When we were done, it was time for her to hit the sack. So she hopped up in her bunk bed and it was time to pray. She always asks me to help her pray so I gave her a ton of things that she could pray for and I told her that I'd pray for anything she forgot. Her words were more precious to me than anything I've heard in a long time.

"Jesus, help us to believe the truth about you. Please protect those who get hurt for believing the truth about you."

I don't want to forget moments like these. My memory stinks. So this post is to remind me of the grace of God at work in my child's life.


Lord, save my little girl! Regenerate her litte heart if you have not already done so. Make her an outspoken and unashamed mouthpiece of the gospel. Let her live for Your glory. And when the time comes, let her die in a way that glorifies You. Thank You, Father, for the privilege of raising her. Though I fall radically short of being the perfect dad, work out Your good will in her life and let her always find her highest joy in knowing You. I may fail at a number of things, but let me not fail in leading her to know You. As Your child, Father, I ask these things for my child, for the sake of Your glory!