I Second that Devotion

The situation is pretty familiar. The time is well after dinner, and my kids are buzzing around. “OK guys, time to get ready for bed.” My mind drifts to that moment when they will all be quietly tucked in, with lights out, so that I can grab a few strategic minutes to get something else done. Things typically move more slowly than I would like, and I start to feel the fatigue of the day. With PJ’s on and teeth brushed, I announce, “Alright, hop in bed and turn your lights out.” A voice comes back, “What about family devotions, Dad?”

Oh yeah. Resisting the temptation to pretend I didn’t hear, I gather the kids up so we can share the Word of God and prayer together. The time together takes us later than I would have liked, but it is sweet, and I walk away reflecting a bit.

• First, I remember that time in the Word of God with their father is the primary means of grace that my kids have. Some of them can’t read yet, and even when they do they wind up with so many questions. What an amazing privilege it is to lead them gently toward Christ and Him crucified as God’s answer to our greatest need.
  

• Second, I think of how kind it is of God to supply us Dads with so many resources for leading our children into grace and truth. It makes it so much easier to get started each night. When we are not doing God’s Story by Marty Machowski, my kids and I are currently going through Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven for Kids. My oldest can’t wait for these times, because there are so many references to Narnia, which she loves. I usually let her read these sections. Not only Narnia, but also Alcorn’s vivid illustrations, make it easy to draw kids into a discussion of eternal things. We’ve read other great stuff, plenty of which is in the church bookstore, like Big Truths for Little Kids or Dangerous Journey.
  

• Third, I realize that we are building a routine into our kids’ lives. I don’t mean something mechanical. When we give our kids hugs on the way out the door for work, or just before bed, they come to expect hugs. They will come to expect regular interaction with God too, if we make this a regular pattern when they’re young.

• Fourth, I think of how we Dads are called to provide for our kids. Sure, I love to provide fun parks and wholesome entertainment when I can, but the most lasting contribution I’ll ever make is inspiration. I don’t want to dazzle them with HD; I want to dazzle them with God! My kids have been inspired by seeing God’s grace at work in David Livingstone, as he courageously wrestles a lion with his bare hands…or in Harriet Tubman, as she absorbs incredible personal cost to go back to the pre-Civil War South time and again to rescue slaves. Best of all, we talk about the King of Glory, who incarnated as a son of man, offering up his body and soul, so that we could become sons of God!

• Lastly, I realize that the effect of all this is slow but cumulative. If we keep leading our kids this way, little by little, we build a legacy. Even now I see glimpses of this at the dinner table when a child makes a connection between one of the bad guys that Christian faces in Dangerous Journey, and his own temptations.
  

I finish reflecting on these things, and head back downstairs. Freshly inspired myself, I keep those devotions coming.