The Heart of a Father

I work with kids 5 days a week, whether it's babysitting, Sunday School, or teaching a Good News Club with CEF. I know it can be challenging at times to work with them, but it can also be so rewarding! And if you let it, it can also mold your heart into that of a parent...

It's weird to say this about myself, but I seem to have the heart of a father. When I see a young child having fun, I have fun too! When their sad, part of me is sad with them and I want to help them smile again. When I see them doing something dangerous, I step in to help protect them and show them a better way.

I think part of it has to do with working with kids for so long. As the oldest child in my family, I've been helping to look after my brother and sister since I was 7. Back in 2005 I started teaching kids during the summer through CEF's 5-Day Club ministry and have been helping every summer since then. In 2009 I started teaching Sunday School classes at my church, or just helping in whatever class needed me. The year after that, I started helping with babysitting for a morning women's study, and also began working with CEF, teaching Good News Clubs weekly. Now that I think about it... that's a lot of time with kids!

I've noticed this inclination to the fatherly at various times over the last year. Over the summer I went to see the movie Planes, and was the only person there who wasn't a parent or their young child. When I help with babysitting, I'm usually the first helper a child comes to when their crying, even if someone else is closer. Today specifically one of the little ones (she's about 2) was sad and tired for most of the morning. Right away she walked up to me and motioned for me to pick her up. She spent a good 90 minutes just wanting me to hold her before she wanted to go play.

Why though? Why me? I think it's because God's molded my heart into a father's heart through the path that I've walked. I may not be a father yet, but one day I will be, and I think God is preparing me to be the father my children need me to be. I enjoy taking care of other people's kids, so how much more my own? Yes, I don't know all the rigors of parenting, and I know it's hard, but through all of it doesn't each parent still see how much of a blessing their children are to them?

A few of you reading this are bound to be parents, so I'd ask you this: have you thought recently about how much of a blessing your kids are? Sure, they've disobeyed, they've gotten on your nerves, you've had to spend some days doing nothing but care for them, but aren't they worth it? Aren't they still a blessing?

Ultimately, doesn't God do the same with us? He cares for each of us every moment of the day, even though we disobey time and time again. He still loves us and still finds us as a blessing to Him. Shouldn't we show the same love and see the same thing in our children?

I know I look forward to being a father one day. It'll be hard. I won't enjoy all of it. But they will be my children, and they will be a blessing to me.

Godspeed!

- Jason