Notes to my Children Day 2
My daughter Bailey started Olympic weightlifting this year. I can’t tell how excited that makes me. I am flying up to Minnesota in February to watch her compete. I know that I sometimes put a lot of pressure on her simply because I am her dad. It’s not that I put pressure on her with the words that I say to her. I love her not matter what, and that is what I tell her.
The pressure comes from being my daughter. Other people expect her to be like me, and that freaks her out. Maybe she will, or maybe she won’t. Who knows? She deserves the right to become whatever God intended her to be. I want Rock to have he same ability when he is growing up as well.
I want both of my children to pursue the dreams that God puts on their heart. I don’t care if they are great athletes or not. They had all of my love the moment that they were born. There is no way to earn more love, and there is no way to lose my love. If their goal is to be loved by me, then they are home free.
Here is what I want them to know today. I don’t care what sports they play. I don’t care what hobbies that they choose. I don’t care what they end up studying in college. However, when they decide to do something, I want them to be all in. That means, I want them to give 100% of themselves into the things that they choose to do.
There are two verses that I want them to memorize:
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
I love this verse because it takes me out of the picture, and puts their focus on God.
Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
When it comes to them doing sports, learning an instrument, or studying pre-med in college, these two versus will take the pressure out of their lives. As long as they do their best, the results belong to God.
This bit of advice would have taken a lot of anger out of my life if I had followed it. All anxiety and fear disappear when one follows these two versus. I pray that my children can live a life filled with joy and contentment by putting their faith in Christ.
Love,
Dad
With my own 1-year old at home, these notes really hit home. All I want for him is to find something that he is passionate about that brings him enjoy and pursue it with all of the blessings, skills, and talents God has given him. Thank you for sharing these!