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Dad

Support Your Kids: Bee There

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BECOME A BETTER

HUSBAND, DAD, AND LEADER.

The blood-curdling screams came from the backyard. It was my daughter Chloe’s voice. I rocketed out of the recliner where I had been drifting off into a delicious Sunday afternoon nap. In a moment, I was wide awake, heart pounding, blood pumping, mind racing with all the horrific reasons why my 5-year-old daughter would be screaming bloody murder outside. “She’s being kidnapped,” I thought to myself, “and she’s crying for help, and you’re not going to make it in time to save her!” You know how a dad thinks. Protect and support your kids.

Action Star | Support Your Kids

Before I even got to the back door, though, Chloe burst through it wildly, still screaming, hair disheveled, arms flailing, tears like rivers running down her little cheeks. 

“What in the world happened?!” I demanded. She was gasping for breath and couldn’t answer. But that’s when I saw it, the source of her pain: a yellowjacket had stung her twice on the arm, two angry crimson dots piercing her pale skin. The area around the stings was swelling quickly, and she must have been in agony because she erupted in a new wave of screaming. 

My wife and I immediately took action. We rubbed liquid Benadryl on the stings, and the swelling stopped. We made a paste out of baking soda and water (thanks, Google!) and the pain started to dissipate. We hugged her and consoled her, drying her tears. And then, like a man on a mission, I armed myself with two cans of wasp spray and headed out to the backyard. I found the vile little nest and eradicated it with extreme prejudice. I felt like an action movie hero, blasting horrid flying demons out of the sky with deadly accuracy.

After the whole ordeal was over, the screaming stopped, the pain vanished, I started to think about our response. We were so quick, so efficient. We handled the problem. We applied the medicine and killed the source within a few minutes. We were pros at protecting her from a physical attack.

Father Star | Support Your Kids

But a much more dangerous enemy looms near our homes, threatening to attack our children spiritually. The Devil wants our kids to hurt and fall and struggle and fail and forget the love of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:56 says, “The sting of death is sin.” And it’s pierced all of us, our families, our wife, and kids. Our hearts swell with the poison of sin, and we impotently watch our kids struggle with its effects. How can we respond and protect our kids from a spiritual attack?

#1. Apply the Gospel to the wound. Like healing balm, a consistent and intentional focus on the grace and mercy of Jesus in your home can help to heal the wounds sin leaves behind. Make the Gospel the centerpiece of your conversations and interactions. Set a place for Jesus at your table. In the good times and the bad, remind your kids of God’s forgiveness and love.

#2. Take prayer as a weapon against the enemy. Prayer is a powerful force in the life of a believer. Employ it against the enemy’s designs. Counter his assaults against your kids with a double-barrel blast of faith-filled prayer. Attack the nests of bitterness and gossip, of lust and pride, of selfishness and envy that surround your home.

#3. Comfort your kids with God’s promises. His presence, His power, His ultimate victory. Wipe away your kids’ tears with God’s loving promises toward His children. Equip them with the Gospel truth that their pain won’t last forever.

Author: Mark Frizzell.

 

4 Comments

  1. Retha Wiid

    What do I do with a husband of 22 yrs, a leader in Church, Prayergroup leader, everybody loves him, but at home me and my son, now 21 yrs, are walking on eggshells, wondering when the next explosion are going to be. He does not hit us, but the attitude, silent treatment, looks, the way he treats my son is not the same way that he treats people from outside. Many times I thought about divorce, but financially it is impossible. He was always drinking heavily until one huge fight where he pushed me against the cupboard and nearly choked me. The next morning he went to church and since then he never drank a drop of alcohol. That was a miracle and I praise God for that. We need another miracle now for him to realise he is actually chasing our son away with his attitude. My son hates my husband and already had a dream of how he is hitting and kicking his Dad. My son is my light at home when the dark clouds are hanging from my husbands side. Please pray for that miracle to happen soon. Thank you. God bless.

    Reply
    • Tj Todd

      Retha,

      Thank you for sharing your situation. It does sounds as if you, your husband and son could benefit from some family counseling. We partner with Faithful Counseling – https://www.uncommen.org/network/

      Or you may want to look into some counseling at the church you attend as that seemed to be where your husband went for his drinking issue.

      We will be praying for your situation and highly suggest getting some help to avoid this going unchecked.

      Reply
  2. Joshua

    For to many years I have worked, which I accepted as doing my part for my family. We have 4 children from 2-11yrs.
    So year after year we are in a grind taking care of the kids. Wife actually doing most of the hard word taking care of all of our needs. Figure I would have learned this being the 4th time this same event has happened. Little by little I allowed myself to think I was doing the most looking for that credit. Thinking that providing a home and stepping in now and then when kids acted up was enough. Which lead to neither my wife or I being happy anymore. Pretty much just roomates raising kids. No communication, No compassion, No true love. Yes we said it but more out of habit. We both did our routines daily but never really was connecting with eachother or our children. Which this is the 4th time my wife has said she wasn’t in love with me anymore, that we would be happier moving on, which is a repeat for us.

    Let’s just visit the last time and this time. We lived in Florida, same grind, same event. She leaves. I fall apart, I even cursed God. This was when my relationship truly began with him. I eventually surrendered my life to Him. He rebuilt me in so many ways, as a father and husband. Wife sees God’s glory, the changes He made in me and returns. He sends our path to Georgia in rocky circumstances, almost homeless. Then in a few months with His blessings we buy our first home. This is where I went wrong again. I began to live on my own strength(if there is even such a thing) again and I know He tried to warn me several times, but I did not look to Him. I looked to myself and my abilities.
    Added to several years of crappy non supportive comments to my wife, porn addiction, and we are once again on the verge of divorce.

    So now I look to God, almost like He is saying, Now I finally have your attention again? But that is what is amazing about our Father. He is indeed waiting for us to return. He was already working on it before I asked Him for help. First, I let go of trying to figure it out on my own. Then let go of trying to understanding what He is doing. Trying my best to have faith and trust. Patience and wisdom. Then I start to do daily lessons with my kids. Spend time just talking about our LORD with them. I am praying for them, and now they are praying for me. God’s love shows through them every day, more and more.
    He is teaching me how to lead them in His truth. The truth that Jesus is life and we would not have that life if He had not given His for us sinners. But we are redeemed through His blood.

    I spend my days and nights in God’s word. The battle I face now is fear.
    Fear of marriage not being reconciled, fear that when I finally realize what my kids mean to me it may be split between two households. If we truly trust God we must defeat fear. There is no fear in true love, so if we really love Him we must not fear! Fear only allows the enemy into our thoughts and hearts. But if we meditate on God’s words daily and apply it to our lives we can defeat fear once and for all.

    God Bless my Brothers!

    Reply
    • Dom

      This battle we face against sexual immorality is never easy. But with accountability, focus, a willing spirit, and of course most of all the help of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome.
      Psalm 51!

      Reply

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