I got a tweet from Leo, a friend in South Carolina, the other day. He said my kids will remember this winter forever. Why is that? We have had 3 large snow falls that have equaled more than a total of 30 inches of snow. We had a terrible rain storm that flooded our basement, and they have been a record number of days of school because of the weather.
With all of those things happening and after this note from my friend, I had to stop and look at how my kids are looking at life and looking at their dad. Interested review came in.
Last night was precious. I was tired. Real tired after working hard in helping feed the hundreds of people who came to our community to restore electricity. But we sat down to dinner (we had BBQ baked potatoes which is one of my favorites). From time to time we will have our family devotion time earlier than bed time and at the dinner table. That is what we did. What followed lit my fire.
Our middle daughter asked me if she could read our Scripture, Genesis 7 about the flood and Noah. She did, and she is a great reader. Remember, I was tired. Ryan, our 6 year old son, was in rare form, and I was trying to be kind and gentle. I decided that Ryan will ask for prayer requests. He took that seriously and hit a home run. The boy did a great job asking each person what was on their mind and even told us a cool story about something his teacher did during the day. My kids make my day often, and I love it.
The first snow was right before Christmas. I remember sledding down several hills and watching each kid and my wife laughing as we had fun together. We've taken a couple short day trips during the storm and had a blast as a family. Yeah, there are slick roads and such. But being together in a different setting lets us experience life and enjoy one another.
This winter we have had fun together, we have worshipped together, we have laughed together, we have prayed together and we have done life together. That's what family is all about. By the way, I don't always get this thing right. I often over extend myself. But I flat out love my family and love that we have been able to spend a little extra special time together.
I want my kids to remember the winter of 2010. I want them to remember how we severed some neighbors and helped some people in need. I want them to remember our time together. I want them to remember how God was part of our time together. I want them to remember how much they are loved.
In review I came across two things. First, I will set the scene for how my kids will enjoy or dread life. My choices make a huge difference. Second, I realize that the way my kids and other see me will be how they see God. Am I distant or close? Do I communicate or not? Am I sharing with them or being stingy? Do I teach them to enjoy life or to dread and fear the tough things.
The winter of 2010 has taught me much. How about you?
Psalm 78:4 (NLT) --- We will not hide these truths from our children;we will tell the next generationabout the glorious deeds of the Lord,about his power and his mighty wonders.
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