Sold Out and Serious
– From Becoming A Fulfilled Father by Joyce Meyer
Nehemiah 2:5-8
And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
6Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Psalms 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
I Corinthians 1:5
that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,
Today, focus on your relationship with your children. Is it time for more? More honor, peace, joy, gladness or humility?
Perhaps you have already resolved to do this. You know God is asking for more and you have an initial vision for what that might look like. In your mind, he has built the scaffolding around a strategy and the structure is slowly rising from the ground.
You do not know precisely how and when this may occur, but like Nehemiah had a course altering conversation that day with the King, you also feel the need to have a meaningful conversation with your family about this new vision. You want to pour out your heart and share it. You are just waiting for the right opportunity.
Though resolute, you hear Satan’s whispers. What if my son thinks I’m crazy? What if my wife scoffs at the idea of praying together more frequently? What if my daughter thinks reading the Bible together seems weird? What if I am exposed as a phony? They certainly know my shortcomings.
You want meaningful dialogue. You hope and pray for God’s gracious hand when this conversation takes place. You desire to download your hopes, dreams and goals for the future. You seek a change. Your children will know you are serious and sold out because you will:
Lay out a game plan
Establish a timeframe
Share the workload
Humbly come alongside
Let us start rebuilding.