Today I saw God in the form of a father. He was one of those "behind-the-scenes" guys. One of those guys that you could tell did all the dirty work. He did all the work necessary to lead and take care of his family. You could tell he was faithful to God! That he was actively listening to God speak to him.
That leads me to the purpose of this blog. I have been married for 23 years and have three kids. At the moment they go like this...20 year old boy, junior in college, away from home, sewing his oats, becoming a man, miss him greatly...17 year old boy, junior in high school, at home, giving me that early "pay back" for all the sins of my own youth, loving child trying to become a man too early...13 year old girl, loving, active, middle school/home school, heart of a lion. All three are either in or have been in our church youth program, which up until recently was run by a woman that I have learned so much from. So over the last 10 years or so, I have had the privilege of being a chaperone on many of the youth trips that our youth would attend. During those trips, our youth leader would end each day with a time for the kids to re-focus on what had happened that day. The questions always changed based on the circumstances, but the one question that was constant was "Where did you see God today?" The feedback was amazing, the intimacy of that question and the responses that came from the hearts of these children was mind-blowing. So, over the years, it has inspired me because what it taught me is that if you really do listen, if you really do open your eyes and ears and heart to see God...you usually find him sitting right there beside you ready to talk to you.
So, I don't have any goals or thoughts that I will get to this every day, but I hope it becomes more than most blogs I see where you get 5 or 6 entries in and then it ends. I hope I can share with you how I saw God today in an effort to help YOU SEE GOD in your own life.
Anyway...back to the "behind-the-scenes" dad. Definitely underrated in terms of his value. Most people looked at the family and said...:"the mom is the one who runs that show". Do you know the guy I'm talking about? You barely notice him, but he carries a confidence that shows he carries a greater load than most imagine. He carries a responsibility that most could not handle. He just does it in a way that most who aren't really paying attention don't see. But, he's there. He shows up every day and does the hard work of leading a family in a faithful, God-fearing way. How do I know this guy? I read about him in a book I'm reading. What made me notice is that after I had read the book a few times, I really don't remember much about him, but he was critical in the moments in the book that were pivotal to the life of his family and to the ultimate conclusion to the story. It was small decisions that he made that changed his family's life, but they were made because he was a faithful man who loved God and feared God, but most importantly...was listening and looking for God to speak to him during the critical junction in the life of his family.
You see, the story starts with his wife getting pregnant...and he did not provide the sperm in order for that to happen, so he wasn't happy about this and thought long and and hard about divorcing his wife and just starting over. But, he knew that this would bring shame to his wife and for her sake, for the sake of the unborn child, and because he was listening for God's voice...he decided that it would be best to continue to be the leader of the this family. So, the story goes on. Months later, the woman gives birth to a son. He is a beautiful child, a special child, one that all the family loves. But they are living in a dangerous time and in a dangerous place. God speaks to this man again and he decides it would be best if the family moves from this dangerous place to a place where the child will live in safety and love and learn to become a man. The rest of the story is about the boy's life. You really don't hear much about the dad in the story from hear on out. You actually never hear about the dad again. But, it was the dad's faithfulness, his seeking God's voice and responding to that voice with obedience and love that allowed the story to happen at all. Without the dad's leadership in those moments, there was a good chance the boys life would have ended before he was 2 because of the harsh environment he was living in.
So, today, I will try to listen just as this dad listened. I will try to hear and see God's voice in my own life helping me to decide what is best for me and my family. I will try to hear Him leading me so that I can lead in my own confidence. I hope you will do the same. I saw God today in a man, in a dad, in a husband who heard God's voice and decided to have faith in what God had asked him to do and who had the courage to take the steps necessary to lead his wife and his son...Jesus...to the life that God had intended for them and for US.
Thank you Joseph for your faithful, humble leadership. Thank you for the example that you provide to me today.
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