Renew your mind

Men, this might sound crazy, but humor me for a moment.

What if instead of giving up things you enjoy so you can "be a good dad," you actually enjoyed your kids?  What if playing with them, teaching them and spending time with them really refreshed you and made you laugh? 

What if instead of wondering what your ex-girlfriend is up to, or instead of looking at porn, what if you actually thought your wife was beautiful and you treated her the way you did when you were dating?

What if instead of wishing you were hunting or watching the 1st quarter of the game on Sunday, you actually engaged and connected at church and you become the spiritual leader of your family?

This is crazy right?  We're guys, so there's no way we could want to spend time with our kids, be attracted to our wives like we were years ago, or actually like church...is there?

I think there may be a way.

There's a verse in Scripture (Romans 12:2) that says to "let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." 

So this week I'm going to try it.  If you ask me to describe the perfect woman, I'm going to describe my wife.  The highlight of my week is going to be taking my kids for a picnic at the park and then reading to them at the library.  And Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday at that, I want to worship the God of the universe, read His Word, learn from my pastor and apply those things during the week.

My family is more important than ESPN.  They should be, they need to be, they have to be.  I really like sports, but no game, play or event will matter to me 5 years from now.  I won't remember the score of last week's Spurs game.  But I will remember teaching my oldest daughter to ride a bike, the way my twins dance, and my son's first steps.

I promised God, my friends, my family and my wife that I'm committed to her until one of us dies, no exceptions.  So why should she get my leftovers just because we're married?  Wouldn't it be a good investment to love her well now, since we may have another 30 or 40 years together?

I believe the single most important thing any person can do is follow Christ and grow closer to Him.  Churches and church people aren't perfect, but God is.  We need to be the spiritual leaders of our homes.  Not only on Sunday, but every day.  Pray with your families.  Spend time in the Bible.  Model forgiveness, being a servant, and love to your friends and family.

Ask God to change your mind.  Put the right things first, and enjoy the other stuff as time allows.

Tough

I've always admired people that are tough.  My favorite football team, the Chicago Bears were known as "the monsters of the midway."  They were never flashy, but they hit hard and intimidated other teams.  I've always had respect for our military.  The training, the teamwork, fighting in battle in any condition...awesome respect.  I have a soft spot for kids with different illnesses.  Little kids that fight for life every day, and miss out on "normal" things like going to the mall or playing baseball.  I love and respect tough.

I think I love tough because tough has always been modeled for me.  My grandparents were all tough in their own way.  My parents were tough and always did tough things.  My in-laws are tough.  They've always worked hard and handled tough circumstances.  My brothers are tough, both of them served in the Army.  My sister, being the only girl and having 3 older brothers, had to be tough.

My wife is tough.  She's a great mom to 4 kids, that alone is tough.  She also works full time, often starting her days before 4:00am.  She also volunteers at our church, and takes care of the house.

My son is tough.  His birth-mom was/is a drug addict.  Before he was born he was already at a significant disadvantage.  When it comes to health, growth, development, even the most basic things, he's always had to come from behind and work hard.  Tough kid.

I can respect art, creativity and finesse.  Those things are good.  But I love tough families, tough teams, tough people and overcoming tough situations.

My family has a potential situation coming up where no matter what decision is made about a child (3 different scenarios could potentially happen), we're going to be in a tough place.  It helps knowing that we believe in a tough God.  Don't get me wrong, I know He's kind, faithful, loving, patient and forgiving.  But He's also a warrior. He's a fighter.  He loves justice and protecting the helpless.  There are things that He hates, things He destroys.  He's a tough God too.

Scripture talks about the wide and the narrow gate.  The wide gate is easy to go through and most people choose that way.  But, there's a great reward for the few that take the tough road and choose the narrow gate.

I wonder what tough conversations you might avoid or take on today?  What tough challenges will we take on?

It's tough to serve others.
It's tough to be honest.
It's tough to forgive.
It's tough give your friends and family the time and attention they deserve.
Life is tough.  But there's a tough God that did tough things for you and me and He gives us the courage and hope to do tough things.