I Want A New Dad

So often all we see on Facebook is either the "highlight reel" of the best things in someone's life, a photo of their food or family, OR someone from high school or a distant relative using Facebook as a diary...

Well today, I want to share something honest. Last night we got home from church, and while Holly puts the baby to sleep, my job is to get Charlie down. After we change clothes, we brush our teeth and get ready for bed. Now mind you, I haven't been home all day because I've been in meetings and with clients. So, Charlie wants to "Rumble"... as in "wrestle." He and I have a blast doing it, and it's one of my favorite things to do with him. But is that something we should do at 8:15 at night, right before bed, with a 5-year-old? No. So I tell him, "Not tonight, buddy. We need to head to bed." That's when he slams down his favorite book, hard enough that the cover breaks off and the binding comes undone.

Now we're both upset, and I let him know we're going straight to bed and that I'm disappointed in him. I say, "You are a good boy, and a nice boy... why would you do something like that and be mean to your books?" He says, "I don't know... I'm unhappy." I explain that being unhappy isn't a reason to do that. Then he says, "Do you not love me anymore?" I say, "No buddy, there is nothing you could ever do to make me stop loving you. I will always love you. I'm just disappointed."

Then he says something I've never heard him say before... "I want a new Dad."

Well, that breaks my heart. Instead of getting more upset, I say, "That hurt my feelings, Charlie. You don't need to say that to Dadda." And then he says, "I'm sorry." So I ask him, "What would a new Dad do differently than me?" He says, "Let me take baths and not showers, play all day with me and not work, read books all day, let me watch TV all day, and not make me go to sleep. He would have money, but not from work. We would get more toys. He would rumble with me, and he wouldn't make me brush my teeth."

Now mind you, this kid has more toys than MOST kids would dream of. He sees me more than MOST kids see their dads with a 40-hour work week. And he takes baths WAY more than he takes showers. But it made me think...How often do we think of God this way?

There's a passage in Hebrews that hits different after a night like that. It says those "whom the Lord loves, He disciplines" (Hebrews 12:6, NASB). And a few verses later (Hebrews 12:11, NASB), it admits the obvious: discipline never feels good in the moment. It feels like the opposite of love. But given time, it grows into something good in us... what the writer calls "the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

That's Charlie at 8:15, convinced I've turned into the bad guy because I said no to wrestling and yes to bedtime. He couldn't see that the "NO" was actually the love. And if we are honest... we do the same thing to God. Do we wish He was easier on us? That we could just "live how we want," and that "everyone gets to go to heaven?" Sure... I'd LOVE for everyone to be there! And here's the thing... So does God. Peter says He is patient, "not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance"

(2 Peter 3:9, NASB). But notice that last word........Repentance. It's not "everyone gets in no matter what." It's that God wants EVERY SINGLE person to turn to Him. But let me ask you this... Does God make the rules because He "needs" your worship, your respect, your love, or your trust? No! He gave us the Bible to be His voice and to show us how to have the BEST version of life... directly from the One who created you. It's as simple as following the directions when you put together furniture... or these days, for me... Legos.

That's actually one of the reasons I LOVE real estate. My job isn't to "sell" someone a house. My job is to give people honest information so THEY can make the best decision for THEIR family. Some people buy the house. Some people don't. Either way, I've done my job because I've been truthful in the information I have shared.

As Christians, that's our job too. You don't have to be a "salesman." You simply provide the information God has given us. Some people will choose to follow Christ. Some won't.

In real estate, it's THEIR money. When it comes to Christ, it's THEIR soul... and THEIR eternal location. I'm not "forcing" anyone to do either one. But I will give you honest information, because that's what you deserve... and that's what God has called us to do.

- Stewart Halcomb

#MaysvilleMessenger