To all the men out there: Happy ‘one of the hardest jobs in the world’ Day!
It’s a job that has many requirements, but very little pay. In fact, to do it well, it will cost you stacks.
You will regularly not have a clue what to do, and the times that you think you do, you may be wrong.
You’ll rarely (if ever) hear you’re doing a good job, but regularly know (or hear) how you fail.
The success of this job can rarely be measured, but will often be blamed for plenty.
But know this (I am speaking to myself here too!):
Every minute you spend with your children,
Every day you work to provide for them,
Every dollar you give up for them,
Every gift you give to them,
Every chore you do for them,
Every story you read to them,
Every prayer you plead for them,
Every day you devote to them
Every time you help or rescue them…
It *all* means something.
As someone who has never fully recovered from wound/s of having a father abandon them: PLEASE don’t give up. No matter how ungrateful they seem, no matter how much they reject you, no matter how bad you feel, your very presence means something.
They may never understand or know until it is too late, they may never tell you or share their life / struggles, they may never appreciate your wisdom or care about your history…but it all sows in to their soul and their outcome.
I look at my own children and I am amazed: *incredibly* thankful that they will never understand what it is like to grow up with parents who don’t care. Sure, they may believe we don’t at times and disagree with what choices we made, but they will never experience the devastation that we have.
Thank You Lord for Your grace, thank You for Your love and and he Way You have orchestrated things. Give us the power to reflect Your love to those around us – especially our children. We can not do it on our own. We need You.