Being a Dad

My wife traveled to New York City today to go bridal gown shopping with our daughter, Kate. The wedding is a little less than a year off and it has caused us to relive some old memories.

I remember being in the delivery room when she was born, laying her on my chest to help her sleep when she had colic, watching her come out of a scrum of older kids with the ball during a soccer match, watching her leave for her first formal dance, seeing her cry when we were ready to leave her at college which was over 6 hours away and watching her drive off with her boy friend to a new city and a career.

I would like to think I was a good Father but not everything I did would support that idea. There are some things I did which I wish I could take back.

For example:

When I tried to motivate Kate in high school to not watch so much TV I would say, ‘If all you do is watch TV the only thing you will get good at is watching TV.’ I wasn’t earning any points with that remark.

And there was the time when she was applying to colleges and I told her I didn’t think she would get accepted anywhere because she wasn’t motivated in high school. I think she was accepted at all 6 schools she applied to.

And then there were the times when she got so frustrated with me when I offered advice that she yelled at me and stomped up to her room and wouldn’t talk to me. The only way I could suggest things to her was to slide notes under her door with the caveat to use the idea if helpful and if not just to throw the note away and forget that I wrote it.

I wasn’t real happy with me when our kids were growing up and I didn’t want our kids to go through what I had to when I grew up. What I didn’t realize is that going through all the stuff I did was helping me to become the person God wanted me to be.

Hopefully Kate has more good memories than bad of me. I know I have many more good memories than bad of her.

Both of our kids are on their own and I really miss them. I am proud of both of them, I love each of them a great deal and I love who each of them has become.

I believe and pray that God is working in each of their lives to help them become who He wants each of them to be.

Do what God put in your heart to do.

Last night we saw Lincoln Brewster in concert at Life Church in Allentown, PA. They are a really good band.

Everything was great – the music, the venue, the people and my date (my wife).

Two messages were revealed to me last night.

· I need to spend more time doing things with my wife. The things we have been doing together for awhile have become ordinary. We spend time together and talk over meals, while in the car and watching TV but we have, or maybe I have, become complacent and too busy with other things. The previous Sunday night we went bowling and had a great time.

· I need to do what God put in my heart. Lincoln said he didn’t start to enjoy himself and feel that he was doing what God wanted him to do, until he started doing what God had put in his heart. And for him that is rock music. He did a guitar riff after only three weeks on the job at a church in California. This was not the type of music the church was used to but an elderly woman who told him to keep it up encouraged him.

Many times in life the things that will affect us or cause us to change are the little things. Take the time to listen for God trying to get through to you.

Our God is an awesome God!